Resolution of feminist economists gathering at the IAFFE Conference in Berlin, July 16-18, 2015
We are shocked that the EU institutions and European leaders are imposing on the people of Greece a further program of austerity that will severely undermine the living conditions of women and men and plunge them into a deep crisis of deprivation. This hits Greek women particularly hard as they will have to provide the safety net of last resort through intensified work of taking care of their families, friends and communities.
As feminist economists, as well as many other economists, have stressed over many years, the debt burden is unsustainable, this fact has recently even been acknowledged by the IMF. Thus, the hardship imposed on Greek people will not resolve the problem of its indebtedness, but it will rather worsen the great depression.
The fate of women, men and their families should not be abandoned by EU institutions and politicians and left in the hands of financial powers. The same neoliberal political perspective under the name of “structural adjustments”, has led to enormous sufferings and political instability in Latin America, Asia and Africa. As we know, the vicious circle was only interrupted by a drastic change in political perspective and policies.
Women across Europe, although in different ways according to class, citizenship and ethnicity, have already been disadvantaged by the neoliberal policy of the EU institutions and member state governments. The proposed action against Greece will further damage women’s economic and social status and autonomy in all EU countries.
In addition to jeopardizing the independence and democratic basis of a Member State government, austerity imperils women’s and men’s power to design and implement transformative policies for a sustainable and democratic future that puts women’s and men’s well-being at the center.
Painful lessons of history, especially of the First and Second World War, should never be forgotten. Europe has to be alert to the political and economic dangers that are embedded in this austerity approach. Furthermore, history teaches us that these problems can only be solved by significant debt reduction, as for example in 1953, and by international solidarity and collaboration.
We call upon EU leaders and in particular the government of Germany to come to an agreement with Greece respecting the dignity of Greek people and democratic processes, including
- an immediate moratorium on Greek government debt and negotiate a write-down of this debt,
- a progressive fiscal policy that takes into proper account the distribution of income between labour and financial capital; sustains the process of social reproduction that enables women and men, in their life cycle, to live and work with dignity; promotes the creation of high-quality jobs, aiming at a substantial reduction of working hours for all, and investment in public services and care infrastructure.
Berlin, 19 July 2015
Signed by*
| Agata Chelstowska | Institute of Public Affairs, University of Warsaw, Poland | |||
| Alena Krizkova | Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences | |||
| Alina Sobotta | Student, Germany | |||
| Amaia Perez Orozco | Eje de Economia Feminista, Spain | |||
| Anupama Uppal | Punjabi University, India | |||
| Ana Sanchez | Eje de Precariedad y Economic Feminista, Madrid, Spain | |||
| Andrea Collins | IAFFE | |||
| Angela O’Hagan | Glasgow Caledonian University, UK | |||
| Anna Zachorowska | GEM-Europe, Jagiellonian University, Poland | |||
| Antje Schrupp | Publicist, Germany | |||
| Antonella Picchio | Center for Analysis of Public Policy, Department of Economics, Modena, Italy | |||
| Ariane Götz | IASS | |||
| Baer Bei Holzheuer | Germany | |||
| Barbara Hopkins | Wright State University, USA | |||
| Bilge Erten | Northeastern University, USA | |||
| Brenda Boonabaara | Makerere University, Uganda | |||
| Caitlin Kieran | ||||
| Carla Dohmewirth | Independent Researcher, Germany | |||
| Carlo D’Ippoliti | Sapienza University, Rome, Italy | |||
| Carmen Diana Deere | University of Florida, USA | |||
| Carol Frances | Independent, USA | |||
| Cassandra Guamri | University of California, USA | |||
| Catharina Schmitz | Indevelop, Sweden | |||
| Christa Schlager | Beigewum, Austria | |||
| Christine Curley | Colorado State University, USA | |||
| Corina Rodriguez Enriquez | DAWN-GEM LAC, Argentina | |||
| David Kucera | ILO, Geneva, Switzerland | |||
| Diane Elson | Essex University, UK | |||
| Doris Weichselbaumer | Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria | |||
| Drucilla Barker | University of South Carolina, USA | |||
| Ebru Kongar | Dickinson College, USA | |||
| Eirini Petratou | Leeds University, Business School, UK | |||
| Elaine McCrate | University of Vermont, USA | |||
| Elisabeth Klatzer | Wien Universitat, Wien | |||
| Elizabeth Stiefel | Köln Agenda, Germany | |||
| Emily Thomson | Glasgow Caledonian University, UK | |||
| Emmanuel Petit | Bordeaux University, France | |||
| Erofili Graspa | University of Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa | |||
| Eugenia Correa | Mexico National University, Mexico | |||
| Ewa Ruminiska-Zimny | GEM-Europe, Polish Academy of Science and Congress of Polish Women, Poland | |||
| Felizitas Sagebiel | University of Wuppertal, Germany | |||
| Fiona Carmichael | University of Birmingham, UK | |||
| Fırat Cengiz | University of Liverpool, UK | |||
| Francisca Pereyra | Universidad Nacional General Sarmiento, Argentina | |||
| Francisco Cos | LSE Gender Institute Alumni, UK | |||
| Gary Dymski | Leeds University, Business School, UK | |||
| Giovanna De Giusti | Maseno University, Kenya | |||
| Günseli Berik | University of Utah, USA | |||
| Haris Gazdar | Collective For Social Science Research, Pakistan | |||
| Hasan Tekguc | Mardin Artuklu University, Turkey | |||
| Heidi Hartmann | George Washington University, USA | |||
| Indira Hirway | Centre for Development Alternatives, Ahmedabad, India | |||
| Ipek Ilkkaracan | GEM-Europe, KEIG and Istanbul Technical University, Turkey | |||
| Irina Kalabichina | Moscow State University, Russia | |||
| Ina Praetorius | Freelance | |||
| Jayati Ghosh | Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India | |||
| Jayoung Yoon | Korea Labor Institute, Korea | |||
| Jen Broadhurst | Glasgow Caledonian University, UK | |||
| Jennifer Olmsted | Drew University, USA | |||
| Jennifer Twyman | ||||
| Jerome de Henau | Open University, UK | |||
| Jhon J. Mon | ||||
| Joelle Leclaire | Suny Bufallo State, USA | |||
| Jooyeoun Sun | University of Oxford – Center for Time-use Research, UK | |||
| Joyce Jacobson | Wesleyan University, USA | |||
| Julia Schuster | Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria | |||
| Juliet Allen | ||||
| Kanchana Ruwanpura | University of Edinburgh, UK | |||
| Katrien von Aelst | University of Antwerp, Belgium | |||
| Katrin Schneider | Independent | |||
| Kazuyo Yamada | Chiga University, Japan | |||
| Kate Bahn | The New School for Social Research, USA | |||
| Kimie Kondo | Osaka Pretecture University, Japan | |||
| Kumiko Ida | Osaka Pretecture University, Japan | |||
| Lisa Alano | University of Amsterdam | |||
| Lourdes Beneria | Cornell University, USA | |||
| Lee Badgett | University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA | |||
| Lucia Perez Fragoso | Equidad de Genero AC and GEM-LAC, Mexico | |||
| Maja Bosnic | Gender Budgeting Project, Ukraine | |||
| Malee Sunpuwan | Mahidol University, Thailand | |||
| Maria Letzgus | Independent Researcher | |||
| Manuel (Butch) Montes | The South Centre, Geneva, Swizterland | |||
| Maria Dolores Martinez Senano | University of Murcia, Spain | |||
| Maria Laura Di Tommaso | University of Torino, Italy | |||
| Mariama Williams | GEM- LAC and Caribbean Dawn | |||
| Mariko Adachi | Ochanomizu University, Japan | |||
| Marta Murray-Close | University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA | |||
| Martha MacDonald | Saint Mary’s University, Canada | |||
| Marzia Fontana | Independent, UK | |||
| Maxine Molyneux | University College London, UK | |||
| Meltem Arıoğlu Pultar | KEIG Platform, Istanbul, Turkey | |||
| Monica Das | Delhi University, India | |||
| Myra H. Strober | Stanford University, USA | |||
| Naila Kabeer | London School of Economics, UK | |||
| Nancy Folbre | Political Economy Research Institution, UMass, Amherst, USA | |||
| Nata Duvvury | NUI Galway, Ireland | |||
| Neha Hui | University of Reading, UK | |||
| Nilüfer Çağatay | GEM-IWG, GEM-Europe and University of Utah, USA | |||
| Nobako Hara | Hosei University, Tokyo, Japan | |||
| Norma Schmitt | DIW, Berlin, Germany | |||
| Olagoke Akintola | University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa | |||
| Peter Mburu | University of Nairobi – ICIDE, Kenya | |||
| Radka Dudova | Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences | |||
| Randy Albelda | UMass, Boston, USA | |||
| Renata Moreno | SOF-USP, Brazil | |||
| Renata Serra | University of Florida, USA | |||
| Rhys Jenkins | University of East Anglia, UK | |||
| Rita Heq | ||||
| Rosalba Todaro | Centro de Estudios de la Mujer, Santiago, Chile | |||
| Ruth Pearson | University of Leeds, UK | |||
| Sara Cantillon | Glasgow Caledonian University, UK | |||
| Sara Davisac | New York University, USA | |||
| Sara Lafuente Funes | CSIC-Spanish National Research Council, Spain | |||
| Şemsa Özar | Boğaziçi Üniversitesi, Turkey | |||
| Serena Natile | University of Kent, UK | |||
| Santosh Nandal | M.D. University Rohtak, India | |||
| Sheba Tejani | The New School for Social Research, USA | |||
| Silke Steinhilber |
Research, Evaluation and Capacity Development for Gender Equality, Germany |
|||
| Silvia Berger | Ministerio de Economía Buenos Aires, Argentina | |||
| Smita Ramnarain | Siena College, USA | |||
| Soledad Salvador | Ciedur, Uruguay | |||
| Srinivas Raghavendra | National University of Ireland, Ireland | |||
| Tamaradee Kuumya | Kasetsart University, Thailand | |||
| Thalia G. Kidder | Oxfam, UK | |||
| Thera van Ocsh | Foundation for the Economy of Care, Netherlands | |||
| Thomas Masterson | Levy Economics Institute of Bard College, USA | |||
| Tomoko Nakahara | Kobe University, Japan | |||
| Ulla Grapard | Colgate University, USA | |||
| Usa Kukuo | University of Amsterdam | |||
| Valeria Esquivel | UNRISD, Geneva, Switzerland | |||
| Valentine M. Moghadam | Northeastern University, USA | |||
| Vanda Narciso | University of Leeds, UK | |||
| Wendy Olsen | University of Manchester, UK | |||
| Yayoi Sugihashi | Kanazawa University, Japan | |||
| Yelda Yücel | Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey | |||
| Yolanda Jubeto | University of Basque Country, Spain | |||
| Zofia Lapniewska | London School of Economics | |||
| Zuzana Uhde | The Czech Academy of Sciences | |||
* Affiliations of signatories are for identification purposes only, and do not necessarily represent endorsement of the statement by the organization.