Global: How to Reverse the 'Feminisation of Poverty'

From 27 February to 9 March ministers and civil society delegates will meet at the United Nations for the 56th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). This year’s meeting is especially critical because it will assess how governments have made good on promises at the 52nd session in 2008 to boost financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women. In this Q&A, IPS Correspondent Mathilde Bagneres spoke with Stephanie Seguino, an economics professor at the University of Vermont in the United States, about how women are particularly affected by the current economic crisis, and the role of government in crafting policies that promote not only women’s equality but sustainable development for society as a whole.