Women in Environmental Economics for Development (WinEED) members gathered during breakfast to meet and brainstorm on how to work in the network.
Women economists working in Bogotá met to discuss possible activities for the WinEED network and their research interests. Participants were professors from Los Andes and Javeriana Universities, Ph.D. and master students, stakeholders, and the WinEED team and leader.
The WinEED leader, María del Pilar López, opened the discussion by informing about WinEED’s activities such as forming the database of women economists, doing the literature review, organizing the seminars, and disseminating information about the network through social media.
According to their needs and experience, participants suggested ideas for activities for WinEED. The university professors suggested having a meeting among researchers to receive feedback for initial research ideas and having an opportunity to examine the gender bias of their courses’ syllabi. Also, as support to their careers, they suggested participating in conferences as a way to increase the visibility of WinEED. Another idea was to organize meetings where women researchers with a focus on economics and multidisciplinary perspectives can share their views on environmental topics.
The participants mentioned that it would be valuable to have meetings with high-level decision-makers and stakeholders to present their research and discuss policy recommendations. They also emphasized the importance of improving students’ English communication skills and learning new research tools, such as software tools to make spatial analyses of pollutants.
Finally, María del Pilar López underlined how important it is that the members have a feeling of belonging to the group.
By: Manuela Fonseca