The 2nd Metropolis Women International Network Forum
Dynamic Cities Need Women:
Visions and Challenges for a Women Friendly City
Overview
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Title: The 2nd Metropolis Women International Network Forum
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Initiative: Dynamic Cities Need Women
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Theme: Visions and Challenges for a Women Friendly City
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Date: October 21 (Wed) – 24 (Sat)
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Official Languages: Korean, English, French, and Spanish
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(simultaneous interpretation provided)
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Venue: Shilla Hotel, Seoul, Korea
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Participants: Representatives from 104 Metropolis member cities, NGO activists, Experts
from International Organizations, Academics, Observers
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Co-host: Seoul Metropolitan Government, Metropolis Women International Network
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Organizer: Seoul Foundation of Women and Family
Topic
Session A
Session B
Sub-topic
Mainstreaming Gender in City
Gender Governance in City Administration
Policies and Administration
Women’s Political Representation
Empowering Women during
Women’s Economic Empowerment
Economic Crisis
Gender-Responsive Social Safety Net
The Right to a Safe City for Women
Session C
Building a Safe City for Women
Measures to Stop Violence Against Women
Session D
Fostering Diversity and
Migration, Gender, and Diversity
Women's Creativity
Women's Creativity and Cultural Industries
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Objectives of the Forum
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Affirming and promoting the spirit of the forum:
- Dynamic Cities Need Women
“More women in decision-making positions”
- Women Friendly City Building
“Reframing city issues and policies with women’s eyes”
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Developing a collective gender mainstreaming strategy
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Sharing best cases of policies and actions for women’s empowerment in:
- Economic activities particularly during periods of economic crisis
- Political representations
- Public policy implementation and practices
- Community development and environmental activities
- Work-life conciliation and care work parity
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Providing networking opportunities for future collaborations
Context of the Forum
Metropolitan cities in global and local contexts
Metropolitan cities are the locus to witness the coexistence of global and local contexts. Metropolitan
cities share many common socioeconomic challenges in the wave of globalization and, at the same
time, strive to be distinctive and gain competitive edges in the global competition. Current studies
reveal how the globalizing process is homogenizing city spaces and resources and, on the other hand,
require capturing the specialized differences of cities ('The Global City Today', Sassen, 2009).
Gender dynamics in the global competition
It is only by today, and yet to come in some countries, that the feminists' slogan 'the private is
political' is reflected in the public policy area. Central and local governments have developed
machinery to implement and practice gender-sensitive policies: gender mainstreaming, gender
analysis, and gender budget etc. Sex segregated statistics, however, reveal the effects of gendersensitive policies are not reaching out to every aspect of daily lives of all women.
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Gender dynamics exist everywhere in all aspects of human life. A few gender-sensitive projects
cannot effectively catch up with the changing gender roles and patterns of the dynamics in the 21st
century urban society. Metropolitan cities are competing to have the capacity to build a more powerful
economy, sustainable environment, and democratic social system. In the competition discourse, issues
of gender dynamics are not in the mainstream. Mostly, the actors in the competition are recognized as
gender-neutral.
In reality, however, we are witnessing more women in non-regular job markets, less payment for
female workers, less income and public support for female-head households, and fewer work
opportunities for female college graduates. In the political arena, women representation is not even
close to 50%.
The Metropolis Women International Network's 1st Forum
In collaboration with 10 regional offices and over 100 member cities, the Metropolis Women
International Network organized its first forum in Brussels in 2007 with more than 700 participants
from 72 countries. The initiative, ‘Dynamic Cities Need Women’, was articulated at the forum with
the focus specifically on questions of gender equality and the role of women in major urban cities.
The Final Declaration of the 1st forum presented appeals to the relevant authorities and institutions in
all countries to develop and implement policies and plans that prioritized agendas that appeal to both
women and men.
The Metropolis Women International Network's 2nd Forum
The second forum in Seoul continues to promote the network's initiative, ‘Dynamic Cities Need
Women’, with a new strategic approach for the realization of the goal. Dynamic cities definitely need
more women in decision making positions and in all areas of social positions. These issues raise the
question, however, whether the city itself is ready to accept more women in important positions. Is the
current environment of urban politics, government administrations, the economy, and family
structures prepared to allow for women to actively participate?
The city environment itself sometimes becomes an obstacle for women to freely walk late at night
and to shift between homes and work places for childcare. Public facilities do not have enough female
friendly spaces, such as toilets and nursery rooms. Are parking lots, public parks, theaters, busy streets,
buses and subways, and apartments friendly for women? Articulating conditions for a women friendly
city and promoting its vision is the new task for the forum in 2009.
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