The Success Story of 09th International Conference on The Future of Women 2026
The 9th International Conference on the Future of Women (FOW 2026) brought together a vibrant global community committed to advancing gender equality and feminist scholarship. With 1200+ participants from 50+ countries and 150+ universities, the conference served as a powerful platform for dialogue, research sharing, and cross‑border collaboration. Under the theme “Feminist Perspectives in Glocal Contexts,” FOW 2026 addressed urgent gender issues shaped by global conflicts, social inequalities, and widening gaps highlighted in the Global Gender Gap Report 2024.
Across two days, participants engaged in keynote speeches, plenary panels, workshops, and research presentations covering themes such as women’s leadership, peacebuilding, digital empowerment, and economic inclusion. The conference also emphasized SDG priorities including gender equality, quality education, decent work, reduced inequalities, and global partnerships.
FOW 2026 created an inclusive space for meaningful conversations, networking, and collaborative action. It reaffirmed its mission to strengthen feminist responses, support transformative research, and build a future where all women and girls can learn, lead, and thrive.
Conference Chair
Prof. Anita Singh
Centre for Women’s Studies and Development
Banaras Hindu University
India
Steering Committee Members
Renowned Speakers
Session Chairs (Physical)
- Prof. Dr Faraha Nawaz, University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh
- Assoc. Prof. Rahul Chaturvedi, Banaras Hindu University, India
- Asst. Prof. Sutanuka Banerjee, NIT Durgapur, India
- Assoc. Prof. Tomoe Naito, Seikei University, Japan
- Dr. Zaireeni Azmi, Universiti Sains, Malaysia
- Prof. Pauline Kirk, FemvestorsGlobal, Hong Kong
- Prof. Alka Singh, Vasanta College for Women, India
Session Chairs (Virtual)
- Prof. Bijayalaxmi Nanda, University of Delhi, India
- Dr. Ruqqia Hashmi, Rani Channamma University, India
- Dr. Lathisha Ramanayake, ABC, Sri Lanka
- Dr. Asma Khalid, Allama Iqbal Open University, Pakistan
- Dr. Bhushan Sharma, Bridgewater State University of Visual Commons, United States
- Dr. Vijay P Singh, Indian Institute of Management, India
- Prof. Reema Bhatia, University of Delhi ,India
Evaluation Panel Members (Physical)
- Prof. Anita Singh, Banaras Hindu University, India
- Dr. S. P. Srimathi, Hyderabad Karnataka Centre for Advanced Learning, India
- Dr. Titiek Hendrastiti, University of Bengkulu, Indonesia
- Prof. Dr. Victoria P. Valenzuela, Bulacan State University, Philippines
- Dr. Lay Hong Tan, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Malaysia
- Dr. Noraida Endut, Universiti Sains, Malaysia
- Dr. Prabha Shankar Tiwari, Banaras Hindu University, India
- Dr. Rafidah Abd Karim, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia
- Dr. Poonam Singh, Vasanta College for Women, India
- Dr. Snigdha Singh, University of Delhi, India
Evaluation Panel Members (Virtual)
- Dr. S. Poul Punitha, Alagappa University, India
- Professor Andrew Davies, University of Birmingham, England
- Dr. Aqleem Fatimah, Allama Iqbal Open University, Pakistan
- Dr. Avashni Reddy Moonasamy, University of Zululand, South Africa
- Dr. Naheed S. Goraya, University of the Punjab, Pakistan
- Dr. Nisanka Ariyarathne, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
- Dr. Manjari Jhunjhunwala, Vasanta College for Women, India
- Dr. Kiconco Milliam, Action Coalition on Climate Change (ACCC), Uganda
- Dr. Manjari Shukla, Independent Reasercher, India
- Dr. Syed Iazaz Ahmad Bukhari, Kinnaird College for Women University, Pakistan
- Dr. Sheeraz Ahmed, Aligarh Muslim University, India
- Dr. L David Lal, Indian Institute of Information Technology Guwahati, India
- Dr. Maria Dojçe, “Fan S. Noli”, University, Albania
- Prof. Dr. Juhi Gupta, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
Panel Discussion
The Future of Feminist Activism – Strategies for driving change locally and globally. Closing the Gender Pay Gap – Addressing economic inequalities and reskilling for inclusivity
Prof. Anita Singh
Moderator
Assoc Prof. Tomoe Naito
Panel Speaker
Ms. Seroshi Nandasiri
Panel Speaker
Guided-to-Publish: Mastering the Art of Publication
Founding of Women’s Studies: An International Journal in 1972, and her experiences as the Editor for 54 years
Professor Wendy Martin is a scholar of American Literature and American Studies. During her distinguished career she has taught at Queens College, C.U.N.Y; Stanford University; the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; UCLA and the Claremont Graduate University where she served as the Chair of the Department of English for 24 years (1987-2010) (2018-19). She is also the Founding Director of the Transdisciplinary Studies Program (2005-2013), and she has served as the Chair of the Faculty Executive Committee (1998-2001) and the Director of the Tufts Poetry Awards (2010-2015).
"Elephant in the Room”: A Small-Group Exercise
An “Elephant in the Room” generally refers to an issue that many people know is clearly present and important, but that nevertheless does not get openly addressed, usually because it is so difficult and/or unpleasant to discuss. With respect to gender, specific aspects of the following issues may sometimes often become the “elephant in the room.”
- Gender stereotyping that we face every day as men/women/third gender
- Everyday sexism
- Domestic violence o Lack of Legal Protection
- Lack of bodily autonomy
- Political representation
- Sexual and reproductive health
- Property rights
- Gender bias in education
- Gender bias in the workplace
and so on (i.e., anything else conference-related, broadly defined.)
Prof. Anita Singh
Moderator
Open Networking Space
Visioning 2035: Women Shaping the Future
This Open Networking Space is designed to collectively envision where women should be by 2035, identify shared priorities across contexts, and co-create research collaborations, partnerships, and policy actions that can turn today’s ideas into future impact.
Our goal is not to solve everything today, but to clearly imagine the future we want to see and identify what must begin now to make that future possible.
There will be 3 main spaces will work through three interconnected spaces; all framed around the question:
What must change between now and 2035 for women to truly thrive?
- Research & Knowledge – Visioning 2035
- Partnerships & Collaboration – Visioning 2035
- Policy, Practice & Implementation – Visioning 2035
Storytellers
Mark Your Calendar: The Future Women 2026
Global collaboration opportunities
Dedicated student and early-career researcher sessions
Publishing opportunities in indexed and high-impact journals
Awards and recognition
Building meaningful and lasting partnerships
Networking with international experts
Career and institutional development through global exposure
Our Official Partners
