Final episode on women's economic justice - can we make covid the gamechanger we need?

I am very excited to present the fourth and last episode of the first series of the People vs Inequality podcast. This is the moment we bring together the different pieces and try to answer the question this all started with: Women’s economic justice -how can we make covid the game changer we so desperately need? What are some of the lessons and the opportunities or pockets of hope to build upon? We reflect back on the stories of Elizabeth, Emilia and Anuradha in the first three episodes and explore new insights and strategies to use this ‘portal’ for real change. 

We do this reflection together with yet another three amazing women: Naila Kabeer, Professor of Gender and Development at the London School of Economics (LSE), Armine Ishkanian, Associate Professor Social Policy and director of the Atlantic Fellowship programme on Social and Economic Equity, and Njoki Njehu, long time organizer and Pan Africa coordinator of the Fight Inequality Alliance. (See their impressive bios below.)

It was great being able to test my reflections with them and bring together their ideas on women's rights and the world of changemaking. So much food for thought (and action)!

A quick recap of what stood out:

- All three of them really appreciated the episodes, and were inspired by the stories of Elizabeth, Emilia and Anuradha! As I was, they are struck by the great work being done, the persistence of these women and the impact they make. They highlight the relevant mix of approaches, from bottom-up organizing to advocacy - 'working on people at the top' - and campaigning, and local to global movement building. That we need local and global and everything in between. That the macro and addressing global structural causes is important as Emilia highlights, but that Anuradha is also totally right when she says that local change is important and that small is beautiful. What is important is to have this space and dialogue across perspectives. 

- The urgency and momentum of addressing women's economic justice is clear. "Covid left into sharp relief kinds of inequalities we are taking for granted. The 10 richest people in the world are all male, all white and mostly live in the US; poorest, too many, almost safely say women from marginalized social groups who eek out a living on the very margins of the global economy - is that a world we want to preserve?", Naila Kabeer) said. The dire situation also drives change. It is part of the opportunity: albeit unequal - everyone is affected, the needs clear, and the pandemic has showed that change is possible.

- The importance of participation and collective action stood out. All three refer back to Emilia's story of the pig, and the women saying 'If only they had asked us what we need'. All three changemakers show how participation can be made reality, and how important collective action is to make sure women and marginalized groups are organized, well-prepared and visible - so they cannot be ignored. We are reminded of the power of numbers.

- The need to focus on systems change whilst addressing urgent needs. The need to balance short and long term strategic needs, taking a transformative approach to addressing the immediate and practical needs are some of the lessons. The need to take a step back, to have spaces to reflect (as we try to do in this podcast), and to ensure self care and collective care, are important to be effective and sustain the work.

- The hope and opportunity with movement building. It became clear how connected the struggles are, how each might have their own role but movements are joining forces and strategic alliances are being made. Learning from how earlier struggles were won and jointly imagining another world are important for inspiration.

On that hopeful note we closed off this first series of the People vs Inequality podcast. I take away so much on what is needed for WEJ, from organizing and advocating to challenge social norms and unfair policies, to using this real opportunity to come together and bridge silos in new and radical ways. I thank all our speakers, Elizabeth, Emilia, Anuradha, Armine, Naila and Njoki for joining me and giving us so much to chew on - and for the great work they do. If you haven’t had a chance to hear all three conversations/ episodes before, I really recommend as there was so much more than we could cover today. 

Also watch this space as we are working on a next series, this time on Climate Justice, very exciting!