Gender Won't Stop Them Investing in Young Women's Economic Security
Session 3C, Theme III
Sharm El Sheikh: September 2, 2007:
Following the plenary session early this morning, three simultaneous sessions kicked off including a session directly related to women’s rights and gender equality – No to Exclusion! Investing in Young Women's Economic Security.
The inclusion of women in the labor market was the point of departure for discussion. The particular focus of the session was on developing countries and there was a consensus that education and self-employment as well as cultural interaction and understanding are crucial to economic security among women.
Numerous insightful questions were raised concerning the private and public spheres. Young women and men from various regions talked about the inspiration they had gained from observing their mothers struggle to provide for their family. “My grand mother and mother are my role models. They are working women and they do not let anything stop them. Not even gender. They just do it,” the young Egyptian female speaker said.
Other questions enthusiastically discussed by the audience included: Is conflict the reason for lack of economic security or does economic insecurity cause conflict? Should the mismatch between education and employment opportunities be solved by adapting the education to the labor market or should the labor market adapt to the unemployed?
On a finishing note, the speakers were asked what they would, could and will do to empower women. Being a role model and breaking the glass ceiling was the suggestion of a young woman from the AUC. While the AFS president and World Bank representative respectively noted that ways to promote economic security for women is to involve them in networks and organizations and continue to advocate greater economic value for women by building the skill sets needed to compete in the labor market.
As the enlightening discussion came to a close, participants were encouraged to find ways to fight stereotypes and understand the roots of conflicts through ICT to create “relevant” content for a culture of peace. "Stand for the future, sustain yourself and do something to make a change," urged Roselyn Egosangwa.
- End-
Note to Editors:
Moderator
Riz Khan, CNN and BBC Presenter
Speakers
Francisco Tachi Cazal,President, AFS International
Daniela Gressani,Vice President for MENA, World Bank
Jawad Naboulsi, Partner and Business Development Manager, TTS Lead Consulting, Keypath Consulting
Tary Sawiris, Economics Student, University of Chicago
For media inquiries:
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Email: sara@traccs.net , fatma@traccs.net, or may.eldin@traccs.net