International Museum of Women Announces Economica

News of note for our members interested in helping women around the world:

The International Museum of Women (I.M.O.W.), an award-winning non-profit social change museum dedicated to valuing the lives of women around the world, has just launched a new global online exhibition, Economica: Women and the Global Economy

Economica is a vivid and timely snapshot of women's global economic participation, featuring powerful voices, visions and images from around the world.  It shows that while women are uniquely impacted by economic volatility, they are often best equipped to offer new economic ideas and solutions.

Why did we decide to feature Women and the Global Economy? To put it simply, the economy is a woman's issue.  Check out these key facts:

• Women make up 70% of the world's population living in extreme poverty
• Women own only 1% of the world's land
• Yet, women are also the fastest growing group of the world's entrepreneurs and professionals, making up 53% of the world's current university students.

The economic status of women affects nearly every other important women's issue:

• A study in India found that women who own property experience significantly less domestic violence than women who don't own property, presumably because it shifts the family's paradigm of power
• Better job opportunities for women reduce their vulnerability to sex traffickers.
• Improved economic status increases reproductive health, decreases fertility rates and reduces global resource consumption.

To learn more about the economic status of women worldwide, take a look at this statement from Dr. Masum Momaya, the curator of the Economica exhibition.

In short, I.M.O.W. chose to feature the economy because it is one of the most important and pervasive issues affecting women today.  Through striking multimedia slideshows, expert commentary and compelling interviews, we highlight microfinance in South America, the food crisis in Egypt, the subprime mortgage crisis in the United States, and so much more.

Plus, in our ongoing effort to feature the lives and voices of women worldwide, we encourage visitors to register, participate in the community forum, and submit work for potential inclusion in the exhibition.

Comments

[Susan C Hammond]

A Chinese proverb says "Women hold-up half the sky." Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, the first Pulitzer Prize winning couple, who both write for the NY Times, have written a book titled "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide". While you're checking out the exhibit, checkout this book.

[Diane K. Danielson]

I'm going to add that book to my review list. I've been hearing a lot about it lately. Thanks for sharing.