UQ Economics Thought Leadership Series – Empowering women: policy intentions and outcomes

Join us for a special session of the Economics Thought Leadership Series, celebrating International Women’s Day (Saturday 8 March ), a day that celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world. Yet, according to data from the World Economic Forum, at the current rate of progress, achieving full gender parity will take 134 years, equivalent to 5 generations, pushing the milestone to 2158.

The webinar focuses on the 'March Forward' to empower women, as reflected in the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day. Our distinguished female panel will critically analyse key efforts and policies designed to empower women, assessing their outcomes through empirical evidence.

This discussion will highlight the complexities, challenges, and opportunities in advancing gender equality through impactful policies that truly empower women. Be part of this meaningful conversation as we work toward a more equitable future.

Meet the presenters

Dr Leonora Risse, Associate Professor in Economics, University of Canberra

Dr Leonora Risse is an economist who specialises in gender equality. She is an Associate Professor in Economics at the University of Canberra and a Research Fellow with the Women’s Leadership Institute Australia. Leonora is currently an Expert Panel Member on gender pay equity for the Fair Work Commission. Leonora is a co-founder and former National Chair of the Women in Economics Network in Australia. Leonora engages regularly with governments on evidence-based policies to close gender gaps and how to apply a gender lens to analysis and policy design through gender responsive budgeting. Leonora holds a PhD in Economics, Bachelor of Economics (Hons) and Bachelor of Arts from The University of Queensland.

Dr Radhika Lahiri, Associate Professor of Economics, Queensland University of Technology

Dr. Radhika Lahiri is Associate Professor of Economics at the Faculty of Business and Law, Queensland University of Technology. She received her PhD from the Southern Methodist University, Dallas and has had academic appointments with the Southern Methodist University and the University of Western Australia. She is Executive Director, Women in Economics Network, Queensland Branch and Associate Editor of Economic Papers and Economic Analysis and Policy. Prior to academia, Radhika held research positions with the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy and the National Council of Applied Economic Research in New Delhi. Her fields of research are macroeconomics and development economics.

Dr Silvia Griselda, Research Manager, e61 Institute

Silvia Griselda is an accomplished economist committed to advancing diversity and inclusion in economics. She holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Melbourne and has worked at the AXA Gender Lab at Bocconi University. Currently, she serves as Research Manager at the e61 Institute’s Education and Human Capital Unit, leading projects on the gender pay gap, childcare, labour force participation, and education policies. Her research has been published in leading academic journals and featured in The Conversation, VoxEU, AFR, and The Australian. Silvia’s accolades include the UniCredit Foundation’s Best Paper Award and the Best PhD Paper Award.

Moderator

Dr Yaying Zhou, Lecturer in Economics, The University of Queensland

Dr. Yaying Zhou is a Lecturer in Economics at The University of Queensland. Her research focuses on health economics, industrial organization, and gender economics. She employs advanced econometric techniques and structural modelling to analyse critical issues such as health insurance choice, market competition, and broker incentives. Dr. Zhou earned her PhD from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.