Gender Norms and Women's Work

J-PAL’s Gender and Economic Agency (GEA) Initiative, in partnership with the Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women (GrOW) East Africa, is hosting a webinar to discuss policy-relevant research on gender norms and attitudes relating to women’s economic empowerment (WEE) across different global contexts. This policy event brings together different stakeholders, including policymakers, universities, think tanks, implementing organizations, and development agencies, that are working to shift gender norms and attitudes towards women’s work. 

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One of GEA’s and GrOW’s research priorities is to generate evidence on addressing restrictive gender norms and attitudes related to women’s work (including paid and unpaid work). Gender norms are important in determining women’s labor market outcomes, and can pose a barrier for women to work for pay outside the home. However, it is possible to counter the restrictive norms, which can also change over time. While directly challenging and changing attitudes about women’s labor force participation is an understudied area, emerging evidence from impact evaluations and other types of studies from different contexts could provide useful insights for evidence-informed decision-making on women’s work. 

Join us as we discuss findings from recent studies on gender norms and women's work, and then engage in a lively discussion with policymakers on how gender norms impact their work and how they use evidence in their policymaking.

AGENDA

Introductions and opening remarks 5:00–5:15  PM EAT

• Claire Walsh, Associate Director of Policy, J-PAL Global
• Erin Tansey, Director, Sustainable Inclusive Economies Program, IDRC

Insights on gender norms and attitudes on women’s work: A review of impact evaluations and qualitative research  5:15– 6:15 PM EAT

• Alessandra L. Gonzalez, Research Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago
• Manvi Govil, Fellow, J-PAL South Asia 
• Grace Bantebya, Professor, School of Women and Gender Studies, Makerere University
• Joy Kiiru, Senior Lecturer, University of Nairobi
• Dickson Malunda, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Policy Analysis and Research

Q&A with audience 6:15–6:30 PM EAT

Panel discussion: How can research insights be applied to policies seeking to address restrictive norms and attitudes around women’s work?  6:30–7:00 PM EAT

Moderator: Dr. Linda Musumba, University of Nairobi WEE Hub

• Ms. Angela Nakafeero, Commissioner, Gender, Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (Uganda)

• Florence Chemutai, Deputy Director, Socioeconomic Empowerment Directorate, State Department for Gender, Ministry of Public Service, Gender, Senior Citizens and Special Programmes (Kenya)

• Anna Rego, Senior Policy Manager, J-PAL South Asia

Q&A with audience 7:00–7:15 PM EAT

Closing remarks  7:15–7:30 PM EAT

• Kathryn Toure, Regional Director, Eastern and Southern Africa, IDRC