International Women’s Day 2016

International Women’s Day (8 March) celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women. But the 2016 theme, Pledge for Parity, reminds us that globally, progress for...

International Women’s Day (8 March) celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women. But the 2016 theme, Pledge for Parity, reminds us that globally, progress for gender equality has slowed in many places, and that urgent action is needed to accelerate it. The co-operative movement has long been at the centre of action for gender parity, so here we look at and hear from some of the co-operative women – and women co-operatives – who have been making a difference around the world.

  • Australian co-op focuses on refugee women at risk

    ANCORW Co-operative, the Australian National Committee on Refugee Women, has joined forces with the University of New South Wales Centre for Refugee Research (CRR) to investigate how refugee women at risk cope once resettled in Australia. The project has received Australian Research Council Linkages funding for three years and will consider women in both urban and regional centres. Rebecca ...

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  • What Women Want

    I didn’t need to shock myself with an electric hairdryer like the character Nick Marshall (played by Mel Gibson) in the movie, What Women Want, to know what women in co-operatives want. As a man, I got to hear about it at the Tagaytay+20 Third Women Conference on the Status of Women in Co-operatives, held in the Philippines. Let’s start with what women don’t want. Not words, not ...

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  • Women leading the way in co-op and mutual insurance sector

    The co-operative and mutual insurance sector has significantly higher numbers of women CEOs than stock companies, according to the International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF). In research carried out for this year’s International Women’s Day, ICMIF found that co-operative and mutual insurers – and particularly ICMIF member organisations – are leading the way in ...

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  • Co-op women: three case studies

    Shazia Manus, chief executive of TMG Credit union leaders from across the world examined how to support women credit union members at the Global Women’s Leadership Network Breakfast in Washington. The event, which takes place every year, looked at potential barriers that may prevent women members of credit union from becoming leaders and how credit unions could help empower them. One ...

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  • Destruction of Kobani in northern Syria

    Ownership and equality in northern Syria

    Ownership in a warzone is complicated idea. This is especially true in northern Syria, where internal conflict has escalated to mass movement of people, border disputes and international military involvement. But the Rojava region, on the border with Turkey, is taking ownership of its own situation, through co-operating to establish a society based on the principles of direct democracy, ...

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  • What do co-ops do for gender parity?

    International Women’s day was originally called International Working Women’s Day. It was all about work, and I think that decent work has to be one of the pillars in any gender equality strategy – and linked to this, education. Globally, co-operatives commit to gender equality at different levels by appointing women senior executives, and at individual job level. We take the same ...

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  • Broadcasting inspiration: Women's voices hit the airwaves in DRC

    A million farmers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are enjoying radio broadcasts designed to empower women. Presented by Jasmin Baluka of the Lorna Young Foundation (LYF) radio outreach programme, the shows use women’s stories to inspire other women to start a business growing cocoa as part of a co-operative. Because they can grow cocoa next to other foods including bananas, maize, ...

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  • Croatia's first women-run co-operative brewery

    Two brewers in Croatia have created the country’s first women-run co-operative brewery, aiming to produce delicious, natural beer while supporting their local community. Ana Teskera and Maja Šepetavec, from Zadar on the Dalmatian coast, run BRLOG: a craft beer brewery that started off in their garages and balconies, and is expanding rapidly. “We are two women who brew our own beer. Not ...

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