Details
Date:
October 20, 2022
Time:
09:00 am - 10:30 am
Course Number:
STR22.13
Application Deadline
October 18, 2022
STI Webinar on Tackling Legal Impediments To Women’s Economic Empowerment
Moderator
Iris Claus, Resident Advisor, IMF – Singapore Regional Training Institute
Presenters
Katharine Christopherson Puh, Assistant General Counsel, Legal Department, IMF
Audrey Mensah Yiadom, Senior Counsel, Legal Department, IMF
Francisca Fernando, Counsel, Legal Department, IMF
Webinar Description
This webinar will discuss how legal impediments to women’s economic empowerment can have negative macroeconomic implications, highlighting why legal reforms in these areas are key. The webinar will present the findings of the IMF’s recent working paper on Tackling Legal Impediments to Women’s Economic Empowerment, which goes beyond the Fund's previous work on these issues by categorizing the key sources of laws that impede women’s economic empowerment and identifying ways in which the law can be used as a tool to create behavioral changes and shift perceptions of women in the economy. Based on the experience of selected country cases that rank high in gender equality in their respective regions (Iceland, Peru, Rwanda, The Philippines, Tunisia, and the United States), this paper shows that removing those impediments constitutes an effective method to catalyze greater participation of women in the economy—along with the related macroeconomic benefits. It also illustrates that once legal barriers are removed and provisions for more equal treatment under the law are embedded, the law can also be used as a powerful tool to incentivize women to pursue equal opportunities, change mindsets regarding the role of women, and hold institutions and individuals accountable for achieving results. In line with the IMF’s recently announced Strategy towards Mainstreaming Gender into the IMF’s core activities, the paper also advocates for a stepped-up role for the IMF in advising on legal reforms that remove barriers and incentivize women’s economic empowerment.
Registration
To register for this webinar, please complete the online form here by October 18, 2022, 12noon (Singapore Time). Upon successful registration, you will receive email instructions and a link for joining the meeting.
