London - 2023
Conference History
Highlighted Speakers
| Name | Affiliation | Article Title | |
| Dr. Cecilia Herles | Institute for Women’s Studies, University of Georgia, USA | Feminist Futures, Gender and the Politics of Food |
| Dr. Christina Hicks-Goldston | Austin Peay State University, USA | Summer of the Girl” Re-Routes the “Year of the Woman |
| Dr. Michele Ryan | Blue Sky Learning (research was conducted at the University of Cambridge), USA | A Seat at the Table: Gender Diversity on Corporate Boards in Response to Legislative Mandate |
| Dr. Natasha Mwilla | De Montfort University, UK | Meeting Migrant Women Entrepreneurs Where They Are: Alternatives to Formal Interventions |
| Dr. Chafiaa Djouadi | University of Toulouse Jean Jaurés, France | Gender-based extremism, the manosphere battlefield and the masculinist movement |
| Dr. Rachel Elms | Tarleton State University, USA | The Female Advantage: Leadership Development and Effectiveness Among Female Athletic Directors in The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) |
| Dr. Tayechalem Moges | University of Global Health Equity, Rwanda | Violence of Narratives: Lived Experiences of Child Wives in Ethiopia |
| Dr. Ndamulelo Mabidi | University of South Africa, South Africa | Navigating Remote Working As A Woman In The 21st Century: Super-Mom Or Super-Employee? |
| Dr. Simon Okumba Miruka | Cooperative University of Kenya , Kenya | Subjection of women to male dominant behaviours in Kenya’s National Assembly of the 11th parliament (2013-2017) |
| Dr. Angela Kahil | INALCO / USEK, Lebanon | Eva Badr Malik : from the Lebanese Women’s Union to Spouse of a Diplomat (1914-1958) |
| Dr. Heydar Arif Aslanov | Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of Academy of Sciences, Azerbaijan | Gender of Abrahamic God. Psychoanalytical Perspective |
| Rippy Das | Banaras Hindu University, India | Contemplating Greece’s Responses Towards Refugees and Gender Equality Issues: The Role of Non-Governmental Organisations in Female Refugee Protection |
| Mitila Suwana-adth | Chulalongkorn University, Thailand | Gender Inequality and Time Allocation within the Household: A Case Study of Thailand |
| Mariana Machado Berno | Fundação Hermínio Ometto, France | WOMEN’S EMBRACES: The meanings that women attribute to the breast throughout life |
| DHAANI SINGHAL | The International School Bangalore, India | Prevalence and Impact of Dysmenorrhea on Adolescent Girls in India Across Income Levels |
| Rafia Arshad | Loughborough University, UK | Transgender Family Life Traumas in Pakistan |
| Eleni Gelasi | University of Cyprus, Cyprus | The pursuit of work-family balance and the crisis of social reproduction in short fiction by Helen Simpson and Tessa Hadley |
| Nadia Elize Van Der Walt | FPT University, FPT Greenwich Center (University of Greenwich – Alliance with FPT Education), Viet Nam | Disrupting representations of bodies, intimacies, and desire: A coming-of-age story |
| Niyati Ravi | The Constitutional Court of Republic Indonesia, Indonesia | The Adherence of Gender Equality Through the Indonesian Constitutional Court Decision: The Decision-Related Women Protection Rights |
| Titis Anindyajati | Dublin High School, United States | The Relationship Between Eating Behavior and Anxiety in Women |
| Felitciana Zsha’ Mirzze | Mindology Counselling, Australia | Trauma informed care for women exposed to violence. |
| Karissa Maust | Clemson University, USA | Hunger, Sensation, and Sexuality |
| José Baptista | Institute of Social and Political Sciences, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal | Fostering Inclusive Work Environments: Understanding the Obstacles for the Professional Integration of Trans People |
| Maisha Bint Salam | BRAC University, Bangladesh | Gendered Challenges of the Public Toilet Crisis in Dhaka: Excluding Women from Participating in Urban Public Life |
| Alexandra Kafka | Oxyzn, UK | WORKSHOP: Empowering Women: Thrive in a Stressful World with Simple Tools to Unplug, Recharge, and De-stress |
 | Jen Rainin and Rivkah Beth Medow | Frankly Speaking Films, USA | Film screening: Ahead of The Curve |
Film Screening Session: Special Guest and Movie Screening at the World Conference on Gender and Women's Studies
The first edition of the World Conference on Gender and Women’s Studies featured a special film screening session with esteemed filmmakers Jen Rainin and Rivkah Beth Medow. They showcased their movie “AHEAD OF THE CURVE,” a thought-provoking and inspiring film.
With a fist full of credit cards, a lucky run at the horse track, and chutzpah for days, Franco Stevens launched Curve, the best-selling lesbian magazine ever published. Ahead of The Curve tracks the power of lesbian visibility and community from the early ‘90s to the present day through the story of Franco’s founding of Curve magazine. Decades later, in the wake of a disabling injury, Franco learns that Curve will fold within the year and questions the relevance of the magazine in the face of accelerating threats to LGBTQ+ community. To forge a path forward, Franco reaches out to women working in today’s queer spaces to understand what queer women need today and how Curve can continue to serve the community.
The film screening was followed by a Q&A session with the directors, Jen Rainin and Rivkah Beth Medow. This provided a unique opportunity for conference attendees to engage directly with the filmmakers, ask questions, and gain deeper insights into the making of the movie and the issues it addresses.
The inclusion of this film screening session at the World Conference on Gender and Women’s Studies highlighted the importance of visual storytelling in promoting dialogue and understanding around gender and women’s issues. It allowed participants to explore diverse perspectives and experiences through the medium of film, fostering a deeper appreciation for the complexities of gender and women’s studies.
Meaningful discussions and reflections on the challenges, triumphs, and ongoing struggles faced by the LGBTQ+ community and women at GWSCONF
This film screening session was an enriching and enlightening experience for all attendees, providing a platform to celebrate the power of cinema in advancing gender equality and social justice.
GWSCONF
About Filmmakers:
Queer activist filmmakers Jen Rainin and Rivkah Beth Medow founded Frankly Speaking Films to tell mesmerizing stories about strong LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary people. Their first collaboration on the feature documentary AHEAD OF THE CURVE (2020, STARZ) about the founder of the world's best-selling lesbian magazine served as a model on which the company was built. The team created the Oscar short-listed short documentary HOLDING MOSES (2022, The New Yorker), and executive produced JEANNETTE and HUMMINGBIRDS (in festivals). Driven by an encompassing desire to beat back the monolithic myths and sad stereotypes about queer women and chart a course to increase positive visibility and empathy for LGBTQ+ women, Frankly Speaking Films has several more projects currently in development.