The experiences of high-profile women who have shaped public life are to be explored with a new programme at the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
The programme will be officially launched tonight (Wednesday 15 October) with a public lecture by Dr Joyce Banda. Dr Banda, the first female President of Malawi and the second woman to lead a country in Africa will be spending a week at LSE as a Visiting Professor as part of the Above the Parapet programme.
‘Above the Parapet: investigating women’s journeys in/to public life’ will engage with women who have held high profile public positions throughout the world in order to explore the obstacles they have faced throughout their careers, the impacts they have had, and what they feel could be learnt from the way that women occupy public space.
Dr Banda, in discussion with Dr Purna Sen who leads the Above the Parapet programme, will reflect on her journey into and at the top of public life.
Purna (pictured left with Dr Banda), Deputy Director of the IPA, said: “The evidence shows with considerable consistency, over time and place, that women are under-represented in public life. Furthermore, anecdotal accounts of women who have succeeded in high profile roles are often troubling in terms of the obstacles faced in the journey, difficulties they have.
“By engaging with women who have held prominent posts, we aim to create a repository of rich and personal reflections on which will not only illuminate the public lives of these women but enable us to ask what, if anything, is changing about the way women occupy public space, and what lessons can we learn for those to follow in their footsteps.
“We are honoured to have Dr Joyce Banda launch the programme. I look forward to learning more about her experiences during her time at the IPA as Visiting Professor in Practice for the Above the Parapet project.”
Above the Parapet will initially focus on women at the top of sectors where having a voice is associated with having authority: politics, diplomacy and academia. Leaders of civil society will also be invited to the IPA as part of the programme.
Women in Public Life: above the parapet| with Dr Joyce Banda, former President of Malawi, is on Wednesday 15 October at 6.30-8pm in the Old Theatre, Old Building, LSE.
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To request a press seat for the event, please email lse.press.events@lse.ac.uk|
For more on Above the Parapet or to request an interview with Dr Banda, contact Jess Winterstein, LSE Press Office, j.winterstein@lse.ac.uk|, 020 7107 5025.
Notes for editors:
The Above the Parapet Programme is one of the initiatives being run through the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) at LSE. http://www.lse.ac.uk/IPA/events/AboveTheParapet.aspx|
15 October 2014