The economic contribution of women is essential for poverty reduction and economic growth in the region. The seminar "Women at Work: a Challenge for Development" will interest those engaged in identifying policies to expand opportunities for women and other disadvantaged groups in the world of work. It will document the progress made and the challenges remaining as to the status of women in the region’s labor force and will disseminate best practices and lessons learned from policies and programs to improve working conditions for women.

The seminar is divided into four main sessions: 1. Globalization and work for women: challenges for the region. The session will review the impact of globalization on the labor situation of women and options to address this new set of problems. 2. Gender inequity in pension programs and social safety net systems (organized in association with ECLAC) will discuss how various social security models serve women, the impact of the lack of coverage on the welfare of the elderly, and the lessons learned from social policies designed to expand coverage and close the gender gap. 3. Causes, consequences, and solutions for discrimination in the labor market will review recent developments in occupational segregation, salary differentials, and policy options to reduce the costs in efficiency and equity for the region’s economies. 4. Building gender considerations into public policy. Participants will describe the achievements and limitations of using a gender approach in public policy in the region. Senior government officials, members of the women’s movement, trade union representatives, political leaders, and representatives of civil society and the private sector will discuss possible policy avenues for building the specific needs of women into socioeconomic policy, empowering women to contribute to economic development, and narrowing the gender gap.
Contact: Mayra Buvinic - mayrab@iadb.org
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General Moderator
Gabriela Vega, Chief, Women in Development Unit, IDB
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8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m.
Opening Session

Moderator:
Muni Figueres, External Relations Advisor, Inter-American Development Bank

K. Burke Dillon, Executive Vice President, Inter-American Development Bank
Billie Miller, Deputy Prime Minister, Barbados
Adriana Delpiano, Minister of Women’s Affairs, Chile
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9:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
Setting the Stage: Advances & Policy Issues
Mayra Buvinic, Chief, Social Development Division, IDB
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10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Panel A: Globalization and Women’s Work: Issues & Challenges Facing the Region

Moderator:
Paulo Paiva, Vice-President for Planning and Administration, IDB

Presentations:
Lourdes Benería, Cornell University
Joycelin Massiah, UNIFEM
Dante Contreras, Universidad de Chile

Commentary:
Francisco León, ECLAC, Chile
María Patricia Fernandez Kelly, Princeton University

Discussion
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12:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.
Working Luncheon hosted by K. Burke Dillon, Executive Vice President, IDB
Hotel Carrera - by Invitation

Women’s Participation in the Labor Market: A Dialogue with Civil Society
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Simultaneous Panels

2:00 p.m.-3:40 p.m.
Panel B: Gender Inequities in the Pension & Social Protection Systems in the Region (Co-organized by ECLAC)

Moderator:
Mario Marcel, Director of Budget, Chile

Presentations:
Alejandra Cox-Edwards, California State University
Sonia Montaño, ECLAC
Frances Lund, Oxford University

Commentary:
Maria Minna, Minister of International Cooperation, Canada
Lena Lavinas, ILO
Gustavo Marquez, IDB

Discussion
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2:00 p.m.- 3:40 p.m.

Panel C: Causes, Consequences & Solutions of Labor Market Discrimination

Moderator:
Sigrun Mogedal, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Norway

Presentations:
Lais Abramo, ILO
Ruthanne Deutsch, IDB
Jaime Tenjo, Universidad Javeriana, Colombia

Commentary:
Daysi Montero, CNTD, Dominican Republic
Rosalba Todaro, Centro de Estudios de la Mujer, Chile

Discussion
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3:40 p.m.-3:50 p.m.
Break
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3:50 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Policy Debate: Mainstreaming Gender in Development Policy

Moderator:
Mauricio Bustamante, Televisión Nacional, Chile

Panelists:
Rebeca Grynspan, Ex Vice-President, Costa Rica
Nina Pacari, Vice-President of Congress, Ecuador
Moisés Naím, Editor, Foreign Policy
Graciela Retamoso, PIT-CNT, Uruguay
Rosario Green, Mexican Ambassador in Argentina
Martha Moreno, Asocolflores, Colombia
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6:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
Closing Session: Challenges for Women in the Americas in the 21st Century

Moderator:
Muni Figueres, External Relations Advisor, IDB

Closing Remarks:
Enrique V. Iglesias, President, IDB
José Antonio Ocampo, Executive Secretary, ECLAC
Ricardo Solari Saavedra, Labor Minister, Chile
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