Speaking during the session, Sara Cantillon said, “ The timing of discussing feminism is now. ” Cantillon noted that contemporary times can not impede the epistemology of feminism because its quintessentialism outweighs time.

Accordingly, İlkkaracan, a professor of economics at Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Faculty of Management, and associate director of the ITU Women’s Studies, said, ” I claim the term feminism in my classroom and my students are open to it.” This notwithstanding, feminism is still an ideology that many seem to be ambivalent about. 

İlkkaracan acknowledged that the nuance of feminism does not come easily because, in some cases, she has been requested to “hush!” This, she claimed, happens predominantly in conferences that government officials predominantly attend.

İlkkaracan admitted that she has had to be mindful of her audience, particularly while engaging with the government officials, while discussing “gender.” I was invited to speak at a conference and I had to drop the word gender, yet gender is a main content of feminist economics,” confessed İlkkaracan.
Despite this rather unwelcoming view of gender and feminism, İlkkaracan still sees the essence of mainstreaming feminism.

“Beyond being political, the feminist narrative is now conceptualized in the  gender, ”  said İlkkaracan, “The economy must be alive to feminism.”

Speaking with the same tone, Elissa Braunstein, the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs and Professor of Economics in the College of Liberal Arts at Colorado State University, and the current chair of the Research Committee at IAFFE, said, “The dominance of empirical work in feminist economics is so critical.” Braunstein reiterated that while feminism is not necessarily a natural science, it is a persuasive empirical idea that has been underscored by the Journal of International Women’s Studies.

Braunstein admitted that sometimes proving that feminist empiricism is not easy, however, the. The fact that qualitative and quantitative data are used to discuss feminist research does indeed qualify as an empirical study that warrants attention.

Braunstein also said that feminism is very distinctive because it is grounded in empiricism, particularly because it interrogates economic models that in turn reproduce gender powers. She maintained that IAFFE has been successful in advancing feminist scholarship and enabling research that addresses critical issues of gender and power in economic systems.

Braunstein also highlighted that IAFFE has published a high proportion of scholars from the global south, and international orientation is robust. Feminist economics, according to Braunstein, is under-cited in academia. Braunstein admitted that the pathway of feminist economics is quintessential. 

Accordingly, Radhika Balakrishnan, a Professor Emeritus at Rutgers University, said, “We should celebrate everything IAFFE feminist scholarship has done in the last few years.”

Balakrishnan lauded the milestones feminists and, by extension, feminism have achieved in the last four decades. Balakrishnan also noted that there is room for more to be done, and young scholars now have an opportunity to explore the feminist ideology in depth.

In a rejoinder to the same conversation, Luiza Nassif Pires, a research fellow working in the Gender Equality and the Economy program, said, “The necessity of feminist economists is for academic activism.” Pires underscored that there is room for academic activism for feminism that requires intentionality.

“Bringing feminism into academic activism has been a long process,” lauded Pires,” Academic activism for feminist economics is not an easy journey. “

Pires said that feminism in academia requires mentorship. She said embracing feminism in economics means that we need to understand how our re-lived experiences merge with current realities.

Pires emphasized that becoming a better feminist requires intentionality in challenging barriers that oppress. She also said that there is a need to take a feminist epistemological advantage.

The feminist protesters blew whistles and chanted “Stop killing women” as they marched through the streets today. Their rally gained momentum however police repeatedly dispersed the crowds with tear gas and multiple arrests.

Among those arrested was Irungu Houghton, the incumbent executive director of Amnesty International Kenya. His detention sent shockwaves across human rights circles, drawing global attention to the events unfolding in Nairobi. Amnesty International and the Law Society of Kenya swiftly issued a joint statement condemning the police actions, describing them as a violation of fundamental rights and a move that sends a “chilling message” to peaceful protesters.

Esther Nyakiri, a feminist activist and board member of the African Center for Health, Climate, and Gender Justice (ACHCGA) was also part of the noble campaign. Speaking during the alternation, Nyakiri said, “It is heartbreaking that instead of supporting us, the police use violence to suppress our voices.

“Our fight is not just for women it is for the dignity and future of this nation, ” lauded Nyakiri while calling out for increased protection for women.

The demonstration aimed to amplify calls for gender justice, with slogans like “Our bodies are not battlegrounds” and “Justice for survivors now, ” reflecting the collective pain and unyielding resolve of the movement.

Notably, a 2022 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UN Women highlighted a grim future for women and young girls. Africa has the second-highest rate of femicide in the world. The continent recorded an estimated 22,000 gender-related killings of women in that year alone, underscoring the severity of gender-based violence across the region.

The report further revealed that most victims of femicide were killed by their former or current partners. These deaths often represent the tragic culmination of ongoing gender-based violence, pointing to the pervasive danger many women face in their intimate relationships. As Kenyan feminists continue to fight for their rights, their well-being seems to also be threatened by police violence. Whether the government will respond to this heinous activity will only be told if change is instituted.