International Women's Day: we have made great strides but there's a long way to go | Michele Binci

Despite much to celebrate, women continue to be hit hardest by financial crises

As we approach International Women's Day - now in its 25th year - there's a lot to celebrate: women's rights have risen up the political agenda over the last two decades (helped in part by MDG3), many countries have made progress towards eliminating gender disparity in primary education and we are also seeing the introduction of initiatives to ensure representation of women within senior political and corporate spheres.

But there's still a long way to go. Despite the increasing recognition that gender equality is crucial to a nation's social and economic development - as emphasised by the latest UN Women campaign - the myriad links and feedback loops between gender parity and development still need to be fully explored. In particular, what does a fluctuating economy mean for women, their empowerment and welfare? And how does - or should - this affect economic policy decisions?

Women are disproportionately and negatively impacted by economic shocks