Navigating a Path in Development Studies through Women and Gender Studies: Inside and Outside the Academy – Tara Cookson

This talk explores options for navigating a meaningful career as a ‘scholar activist’ trained in Women and Gender Studies. Gender equality is a priority for states, NGOs, and private organizations committed to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and as a result, there is broad demand for graduates who can do gender-sensitive critical analysis and problem solving. Dr Cookson will reflect on her own experiences of using her research in Peru to advocate for a gender perspective in global debates on the world’s biggest anti-poverty programs. Drawing on experiences with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UN Women, and the OECD, she’ll cover the challenges and opportunities for this kind of work, and some of the tools required to do it.

Bio

Dr Tara Patricia Cookson is author of Unjust Conditions: Women’s Work and the Hidden Cost of Cash Transfer Programs, winner of the 2018 AAG Globe Book Award. She earned a PhD at the University of Cambridge as a Gates Scholar, an MA from the Women’s and Gender Studies Institute at the University of Toronto, and is currently a SSHRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of British Columbia. In 2016, Dr. Cookson co-founded Ladysmith, a feminist research consultancy that helps international organizations collect, analyze, and take action on gender data; her most recent project was serving as substantive editor and co-author of UN Women’s flagship report, Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020: Families in a Changing World.

Academic website: https://taracookson.com/

Ladysmith website: https://ladysmithcollective.com/