International Women’s Month: Closing the Economic Gender Gap

This episode of the Oxford Policy Pod discusses the economic challenges and opportunities facing women all over the world. The economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic displaced millions of women from the global labour force and unraveled several decades of progress in closing economic gender gaps. Governments around the world will need to prioritize gender-based policymaking in the years ahead in order to regain this lost ground and achieve true gender equality. This episode takes a look at key elements of gender-based economic policymaking alongside two experts in the field, Dr. Sarah Kaplan and Sanchita Mitra.

Our hosts, Ujunwa Ojemeni and Swathi Ramprasad interview these distinguished experts to get their perspectives on the main barriers to women's economic empowerment in both developed and developing countries. Our guests also provide an overview of some of the policies that governments can implement to help dismantle these barriers. 

Dr. Sarah Kaplan is a Distinguished University Professor and the Director of the Insitute for Gender and the Economy at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. Her interview focuses on women working in the formal sectors of the global economy. She also discusses key gender policy themes like the wage gap, childcare, pay transparency, and feminist economic recovery policy. 

Sanchita Mitra is the National Coordinator at SEWA Bharat. SEWA Bharat is a federation of women-led institutions providing economic and social support to women in the informal sector in India. Sanchita speaks with Swathi about the unique situation of women who work in informal sectors of the economy, and how SEWA has worked with its members to improve their access to government programs. She discusses the following topics: gender-based violence and safety, financial inclusion, community organizing, and advocacy.