Highlighting research that celebrates women’s achievements and brings awareness to gender-based disparities is the aim of a University of Guelph virtual conference March 8 to recognize International Women’s Day.  

This year’s one-day event called “Honouring International Women’s Day Conference 2022: Research, Recognize, & Reimagine!” will focus on the futures and intersectionality of women from Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) communities. 

Hosted by U of G’s Research Facility for Women’s Health and Wellbeing and the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute, the event is intended to be “a stepping-stone to gather and engage in discourse about the meaningful work students are doing to address research pertaining to women and girls,” and to provide a platform for research by BIPOC women, said Allyson Andrade, a neuroscience and applied cognitive science PhD student and conference coordinator. 

Among the keynote speakers for this fifth annual event is U of G anthropology and sociology professor Dr. Sharada Srinivasan. The Canada Research Chair in Gender, Justice and Development, Srinivasan will speak about her research examining daughter discrimination in India and Canada, including its root causes and emergences. 

“Through events like our conference, we can foster a space where the complexity of women’s issues is discussed and showcase research being conducted to examine and address such issues,” said Andrade. 

Poojan Joshi, a master of arts student in applied social psychology and a conference coordinator, said the event is “an opportunity for like-minded individuals with an interest in issues pertaining to women and girls to showcase their research and to celebrate women’s achievements and to inspire others to pursue research of their own, or at the very least integrate these ideas in their lives and careers.” 

International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 and is intended to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness of women’s equality, lobby for accelerated gender parity and fundraise for female-focused charities. 

Registration is required for the free event.