Gender inequalities and poverty 

Gender inequalities and poverty are intrinsically linked, and form part of a vicious cycle. Because of gender inequalities, women have access to fewer resources, are less-well paid and have more precarious jobs, if they manage to access the job market at all. Poverty leads women to more frequent instances of violence and discrimination, including in access to justice or access to healthcare. Depending on various criteria such as age, ethnic origin or disability, some women have even higher risks to live in poverty and to experience discrimination.  

Building bridges between equality bodies and women in poverty 

Because of their mandate and the scope of their work, equality bodies can often help identify the specific needs and injustices suffered by various groups of women in poverty. Therefore, they can assist them when they are victims of unfair treatment. But in order to do that, they need to be better informed of the issues faced by these women and to engage in a constructive dialogue with them.  

Online Roundtable “Women in Poverty: Breaking the Cycle”  

On 22 October 2020, Equinet will organise, together with the Institute of Women and for Equal Opportunities in Spain, an online roundtable to create space for discussion on breaking the cycle of women in poverty. The event will build bridges by bringing together equality bodies and civil society organisations working on women in poverty. 

The objectives of the event are to: 

• Give a platform for women in poverty to tell their stories 
• Identify their specific needs 
• Explore how equality bodies can support them 

By hearing concrete examples, equality bodies and organisations of women in poverty will gain a better understanding of the issues and develop potential actions to address the injustices and inequalities, and ultimately better assist women in poverty.  
 
The event will take place online on Zoom.  
Live interpretation into English/Spanish will be provided.  
 
Please note that there are two sessions: a roundtable session in the morning, and smaller group discussions in the afternoon. The morning session is open to all, while for the afternoon session there will be limited availability. In the afternoon, staff of national equality bodies and civil society organisations will be given priority due to the limited number of spots available in both working groups. 

We kindly ask you to register by 14 October in order to receive relevant material ahead of and following the event.

Register for the morning session here. 
Register for the afternoon session here.

Draft Agenda

To download the agenda click here.