Media & blogs
Present children and absent parents: Why we need to know more about skip-generation households in South Africa and beyond.
Grandparents form an integral part of well-functioning families and by extension communities. Not only is their presence vital to the developmental abilities of grandchildren (Duflo, 2000), but in many instances they also play a significant supportive role to parents in relation to the physical, emotional, and financial care of their children (Barranti, 1985; Burton, 1992). However, when grandparents are left to be full-time caregivers at a point in their lifecycle where they may themselves be in need of care, this highlights significant care gaps left by the state and market and has important consequences for the well-being of such grandparents and the development of the children in their care.
Read the full article here.
Daylight Savings Time
Politicians, economists, and sleep specialists debate instituting a permanent standard time. Should we keep one time all year, split it in two, or do something else entirely?
Listen to the podcast here.
Austerity: Extent, Gendered Impacts, and Feminist Economic Alternatives
Many countries are facing a myriad of economic challenges, including inflation, rising debt overhangs, and impacts of the COVID pandemic. In the midst of these pressures, we are seeing a rise in all too familiar narratives and policies pushing austerity as a necessary solution, despite the now extensive evidence of the negative, particularly gendered, impacts, as well as the path dependencies and destruction these policies can create for economic development. This event will explore the extent of austerity policies globally, map the channels through which they create gendered impacts, share country case-studies of Ecuador and South Africa, and conclude with a discussion of feminist economic alternatives that will be further developed in later events in this series.
Moderator: Diane Elson – Emeritus Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Essex
Speakers: Odile Mackett – Senior Lecturer, University of the Witwatersrand’s School of Governance
Bhumika Muchhala – Political Economist and Senior Advisor, Third World Network
Diane Perrons – Professor Emerita in Feminist Political Economy, London School of Economics
Watch the full webinar here.
The gendered impact of COVID-19 on social reproduction | REFA Festival 2021
A discussion on how COVID-19 has a gendered effect on social reproduction, with Prof. Akosua Keseboa Darkwah, Odile Mackett, Dr. Smriti Rao, and Dr. Debra Shepherd.
The “Rethinking Economics for Africa (REFA) Festival 2021: Economics and the COVID-19 Crisis” was held online from Tuesday 31 August to Thursday 2 September 2021. This was the fourth annual, second virtual edition of the Festival. Organised by the students, academics and civil society organisations of REFA, the Festival showcased the latest thinking in alternative economic thought and economic policy.
Watch the full discussion here.
Five ways to measure the effects of a crisis like COVID-19 on women
Social issues and crises tend to affect women more severely than men. This is why terms like “gender mainstreaming policies”, “gender-responsive interventions” and “gender-based budgeting” have become more popular in public policy discussions in recent years.
Read the article here.
Relaxing Democracy
In this episode of The TK Show, TK is joined by academic Odile Mackett. They discuss the burden faced by women in the labour market, the difficulty in implementing Western policies in Africa, the tension between freedom and security, and the appeal of East Asian governance.
Watch the full conversation here.
Unpacking the 2021 Budget Speech
An in-depth analysis, by an expert panel, of the 2021 BUDGET SPEECH delivered by Finance Minister, Tito Mboweni. Welcome by Professor Maurice Radebe - Head of School, Wits Business School
PANELLISTS: Professor Nhlanhla Nene – Former Minister of Finance and Non-Executive Director, Grobank
Dr Kenneth Creamer – Senior Lecturer, School of Economics and Finance
Busi Sibeko – Economist, Institute for Economic Justice
Olebogeng Ramatlhodi – Director, Indirect Tax and Global Trade Advisory Leader
MODERATOR: Odile Mackett – Lecturer, Wits School of Governance
Watch the full webinar here.
Pandemic underscores burden women carry doing paid and unpaid reproductive labour
Debates about women’s unpaid reproductive labour have been going on since the first woman received cash for her services. Reproductive labour includes cooking, cleaning, and caring for the elderly, the sick and children.
Read the full article here.