To mark International Women’s Day in 2019, the Lowy Institute in partnership with Telstra hosted a special event on the impact of authoritarian regimes on women.

Today is the era of the “strongman”, as a new wave of authoritarianism spreads across the globe. In countries as diverse as Russia, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Poland, Brazil, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines, macho leadership reigns. Even in contemporary western democracies such as the United States, the ranks of authoritarian populists have swelled.

Aside from the grand displays of force, clampdown on minority rights and gagging of the press which typically characterise authoritarian regimes, another striking feature is the limits they impose on the freedoms and power of women.

The panel featured:

Dr Nicole Curato, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance

Lydia Khalil, Research Fellow in the Lowy Institute’s West Asia Program

Alex Oliver, Director of Research at the Lowy Institute (moderator)

Elaine Pearson, Australia Director, Human Rights Watch

Dr Rebecca Sheehan, Lecturer in the Sociology of Gender and Program Director of Gender Studies at Macquarie University