Gender perspectives of the financial and economic crisis

The crash of the financial markets 2008 has prompted numerous debates about the causes of the crisis and its impacts. However, the question of how the crisis is affecting men and women differently has tended to be marginalised. This paper proposes a framework for characterising and monitoring the main arguments which have emerged with regard to the role of gender in the crisis, both in the media and in gender research. It also examines the political responses to the crisis, especially the stimulus packages and the predictable impacts of planned austerity programmes, from a gender perspective. The paper argues that it is not only the impact of the crisis which has a gender dimension but also that main causes of the crisis have an important gender dimension. It concludes by highlighting the role of gender in the global financial architecture and proposing more extensive research in this area.