Our Rector Prof. Dr. Esra Gençtürk attends as invited speaker a panel discussion organized by the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO

Our Rector Prof. Dr. Esra Gençtürk attended as invited speaker the panel discussion “Pandemic & Challenges and Opportunities: Women” organized online by the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO on Tuesday, March 23 in observance of International Women’s Day.     In her speech titled “Sustainability and Gender Equality in  Pandemic Times”, Prof. Dr. Gençtürk highlighted the fact that women advocating gender equality are faced with discrimination instead of free will and equal opportunities, and drew attention to the role of cultural, organizational, and managerial practices that are nurtured by stereotypes and prejudices, with repercussions which extend to even violence. Prof. Dr. Gençtürk noted that, especially in the extraordinary times of the pandemic, women have assumed additional responsibilities as daughters, mothers, wives, or paid or unpaid employees, and since they are expected to fulfill multiple shifts within 24 hours, they are naturally more exhausted, as she called attention to the inferences obtained from both the narratives shared and comprehensive empirical studies conducted during the pandemic period.  Moderated by Prof. Dr. Zeynep Karahan, Chair of the Expert Committee on Gender Equality and Board Member at the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO, the panel discussion also featured Prof. Dr. Bertil Emrah Oder, UNESCO Chairholder on Gender Equality and Sustainable Development, and Associate Prof. Hülya Adak, Gender Director at Sabancı University, as invited speakers.