Outline of the talk: 

When gender is discussed in the context of policy, whether in government circles or in academia, more often than not this is taken to mean policies that solely concern women and, to some extent, children. Gender policy is then restricted to maternity health and leave, the wage gap, policies relating to gender-based and sexual violence, and so on. Most fields do not look at policy solutions through a gendered lens because it is assumed that gender does not play a role in these fields. Mainstream water policies, for example, or climate change policies, or economic and finance policies are still assumed to be gender neutral fields. This is despite multiple studies showing not only that women are disproportionately impacted by water scarcity/ lack of access or by climate change, but also that women can play a key role in making gender sensitive policies successful when they are included as stakeholders and decision-makers.

While feminists have spent decades fighting for greater gender representation in policy, this is yet to be mainstreamed. Including women as stakeholders in the policy-making process can expose policy makers to complex and nuanced issues that have been previously overlooked. Ensuring that policies used a gendered lens can make these policies not only more successful but also more meaningful. Drawing upon key debates in gender and development literature and building on field experience, the talk will discuss if policy making is beginning to show much gender sensitivity or continues to be gender blind.

Short Bio of the speaker:

Dr. Girija Godbole is currently working at the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) at IIT Bombay. In addition to conducting research and teaching, she also coordinates activities of the Gender and Policy Forum at CPS. 

Girija recently completed PhD at the University of Cambridge under the Gates Cambridge Scholarship. Her research sought to understand the impacts of increasing incidence of land sale on a rural society in Pune district. Trained in anthropology Girija has worked in the environment and development sector. She coordinated a DFIF-NRSP research project for University of Cambridge on participatory forest management in Madhya Pradesh. Girija also worked as a consultant with Winrock India, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, World Resources Institute. She also taught short course in anthropology at the Centre for Liberal Arts, Symbiosis College, Pune. Girija has been doing voluntary work with a grassroots organisation Jeevan Sanstha, in helping to set up initiative for rural women and children in villages in Maval tehsil of Pune district. She intermittently contributes to the Marathi TV channel IBN Lokmat.