Trinity Celebrates International Women’s Week

Posted on: 03 March 2014

Inspiring Change is the theme of this year’s Trinity College Dublin’s International Women’s Week which takes place from Monday 3rd to Saturday 8th March 2014.

An exciting programme of events including talks, film screenings, panel discussions and other activities has been prepared to reflect this year’s theme. The week is an opportunity to engage with contemporary debates on gender. It reflects the engagement with the community and global human rights issues by College students and staff.

Launched by Senator Ivana Bacik and Sheelan Yousefizadeh in Front Square on Monday 3rd March, the Students’ Union (SU) are running a campaign throughout the week highlighting the contributions of Trinity women staff, students and graduates in different fields.

Senator Ivana Bacik, Reid Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology and Fellow of Trinity College Dublin, Barrister and human rights campaigner said:  “I am delighted to launch International Women’s Week 2014 at Trinity College along with Sheelan Yousefizadeh. A range of exciting events during the week will address a diverse range of issues concerning gender equality. Over this week, issues highlighted will include the need for continued feminist campaigns on issues like women’s access to reproductive rights and women’s access to education in developing countries. Some critics have suggested that feminism has gone too far – but this week’s events show that in truth it has not yet gone far enough.”

Sheelan Yousefizadeh, Trinity Genetics undergraduate student, cultural curator, broadcaster, human rights advocate and coordinator of Dublin Nowruz Festival added: “I think this is a great occasion not only to address the wide range of issues affecting women and gender equality but an opportunity to celebrate the achievement of women. This year’s theme is Inspiring Change and we want to celebrate women who are inspiring change particularly across the Trinity campus. I am looking forward to the various events and thought-provoking discussion that will take place this week. There is something tailored for everyone so I encourage you all to join in the celebration in support of women by coming along to one of the events”.

Highlights of the week include:

Shadows and Lights: a study day in honour of Catherine Marshall is held by the History of Art and Architecture Department, Trinity College Dublin on Saturday 8th March. This full-day event consists of a series of round-table discussions in honour of Catherine Marshall, former head of collections of IMMA and former lecturer in Trinity College Dublin.

A New Look at Women in Iran and Afghanistan Film Series organised by the College Equality Office and the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Studies will have its first screening on Thursday with Facing Mirrors, a ground-breaking film about an Iranian trans* person. The film will be introduced by scholar Masserat Amir-Ebrahimi. The film series will run weekly until 20th March.

A panel discussion on Women’s Access to Education will take place on Tuesday hosted by DU Gender Equality Society and DU Amnesty. A panel discussion will also take place on Women in Politics with guest TDs Regina Doherty and Helen McEntee.

Throughout the week there will be several paper readings hosted by the Bram Stoker Club. There will be talks addressing a range of equality issues ranging from New abortion legislation: a doctor or a woman’s right to choose?  to Resistance and Authority: Nuns in 17th Century France held by the Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies.

Other events include the Women in Leadership Breakfast hosted by TCD Global Relations with Vice-President, Professor Jane Ohlmeyer; a panel discussion with Trinity staff and students discussing Balancing Academia and Parenting; and Painted Ladies, a tour of the National Art Gallery examining representations of Biblical women.

International Women’s Week is supported by the Trinity College Dublin Equality Office, the TCD SU, GSU, DU Gender Equality Society, DU Amnesty Society, the University Philosophical Society, Trinity Young Fine Gael, TCD Chaplaincy, Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies, Student Parent Society, TCD Global Relations, Medical Students for Choice, and the Department of History of Art and Architecture, amongst others.

International Women’s Day was first commemorated in 1911 following increasing demands across the industrialised world for better working conditions and voting rights for women.  It has since grown to become a global day of recognition and celebration across the developed and developing world.