On 9 October, Dr Sabine D’Costa, Senior Lecturer in Economics at the University of Westminster, presented new research findings on changes to women’s urban wage premium in a workshop featuring interdisciplinary talks from cross-faculty academics.
In a workshop attended by University colleagues and students from the Economic Policy and Analysis MSc course, D’Costa presented key findings from her recent research paper on the changes to women’s urban wage premium since 2008. D’Costa discussed reasons behind changes to the role of cities in the gender pay gap, before exploring potential policy solutions such as improved accessibility to childcare and safe public transport.
After presenting her research, D’Costa handed over to Professor Val Gillies, Professor of Social Policy and Criminology and UCU Equality Officer for the University, who provided sociological context to the research. Gillies spoke about policy changes that have affected women’s wages, in addition to the unpaid care burden that impacts many women’s professional careers.
Professor Nitasha Kaul, Professor of Politics, International Relations and Critical Interdisciplinary Studies and Director of the University’s Centre for the Study of Democracy, followed with a feminist economics discussion on the political causes and democratic effects of changes in policy that contributed to the pay gaps identified by D’Costa’s research.
About the workshop, D’Costa said: “This was a unique opportunity to engage in multidisciplinary discussion around women and work and explore both the root causes and policy solutions to the stark drop in cities’ benefits for women.”
D’Costa’s research and workshop contribute to several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including 5: Gender Equality, 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth and 10: Reduced Inequalities. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Read more about Dr Sabine D’Costa’s research.
Find out more about Economics courses at the University of Westminster.
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