OUR AIM

The Gender Group (GG) aims to strengthen gender-sensitive research at ZEF and to promote interdisciplinary collaboration on gender issues among ZEF researchers. The group focuses on supporting senior and junior researchers in integrating gender perspectives in their research projects, addressing gender differences as researchers, developing gender studies curricula and material for inter- and transdisciplinary courses, and sharing publications and ideas on gender-sensitive research.

WHAT DOES GENDER MEAN AND WHY DOES IT MATTER TO US?

Gender equality and women’s empowerment have been defined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG5) as a fundamental human right and a key aspect of a prosperous and sustainable world. Despite improvements in gender-related indicators during the last decade, there are still pervasive social norms in place that prevent women to execute their full potential and consequently hinder social progress. Moreover, women’s experiences and particular vulnerabilities tend to be invisible and excluded from research and policy implementation.

LATEST NEWS

ZEFGG Monthly Meeting

Presenter: Cecile Poitevin

25 April 2024. 15:00 - 16:00

Location: Room 1.049 and Zoom

Meeting ID: 662 0340 9741

Passcode: 266381

Title: Power, gender-based violence and smallholders’ adaptation pathways in Ghana

Abstract: Gender issues are not new to agricultural development in West Africa as several studies have highlighted gender-differentiated constraints in smallholders' agricultural production. These studies have stressed among others the impact of gender norms and local power dynamics on access and control over resources, access to inputs, division of labor, differentiated perceptions of climate risks, and related needs. In line with Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality, interventions promoting sustainable agriculture under climate change have attempted to address some of the underlying issues of intra-household gender disparity. The efficacy of those interventions in empowering women remains however limited, partly due to their inability to address underlying causes of gender inequality, one of those being gender-based violence (GBV). GBV has significant and long-lasting impacts on women's physical and mental health but its impact on the adaptive capacity of female smallholder farmers has been sparsely analyzed. The present research will follow a qualitative approach from both African feminism and feminist political ecology perspectives to understand how GBV impacts the adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers to climate change.

Public lecture by Prof. Miriam Cooke: Arab feminism and politics,  
March 8, 2024

Co-coordinators

Dr. Dennis Lucy Avilés Irahola
+49-228-73-1722

Dr. Tina Beuchelt
+49-228-73-4922

Dr. Sundus Saleemi
+49-228-73-1841

PD Dr. Eva Youkhana
+49-228-73-4909

Purti Sadhwani
Research Assistant
+49-228-73-6707

 

Gender at ZEF

Find out more about research, staff, publications, projects and doctoral theses related to gender at ZEF

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