Questions on Gender: International Women’s Day at the Paris Center

The Paris Center celebrated International Women’s Day with a program of events designed to highlight and reflect upon the ongoing struggle for gender equality.

March 17, 2016
Ghada Hatem, gynecologist and founder of the Maison des Femmes

The Paris Center celebrated International Women’s Day with a program of events designed to highlight and reflect upon the ongoing struggle for gender equality. The day began with a bake sale and informational fair. Proceeds benefitted La Maison des Femmes and La Fondation Lecordier, which aids homeless women.

The evening featured a conversation with Ghada Hatem, gynecologist and founder of the Maison des Femmes, and midwife Mathilde Delespine, in which they discussed the nature of their work as female medical professionals at the Centre Hospitalier Saint-Denis. Hatem and Delespine spoke about their experiences, challenges, and incredible benefits of working with women of varied backgrounds from diverse populations. They also spoke about their work with the Maison des Femmes, a feminist organization which seeks to fight against gender-based violence and to protect and promote women’s rights.

The events continued into the following day, when program manager Loren Wolfe led a conversation with Flavia Agnes, world-renowned Indian legal scholar, women's rights activist, and author, and Danielle Haase-Dubosc, former director of Reid Hall. Flavia Agnes is the co-founder of Majlis, a legal and cultural resource center in Mumbai.

These events were part of the Paris Center’s "Questions on Gender” initiative, which began in February with "Tu le diras à ma mère," a roundtable discussion on femicide in the Congo. This is tied to the on-campus project Reframing Gender-Based Violence, which will be launched in September by the Center for the Study of Social Difference.