Recognizing that gender equity and public policy are interrelated, this research cluster brings together academic researchers, policymakers, activists, and graduate and undergraduate students seeking to understand and contribute to the production and dissemination of knowledge that provides a gendered analysis of public policy from an anti-racist and anti-colonial perspective. In doing so, this cluster considers public policy in relation to gender and other axes of identity, from historical and current perspectives, to produce knowledge that is intersectional and supports the inclusion and liberation of marginalized people.
This cluster encourages such analyses on public policy in Canada and internationally, especially for the purposes of engaging in comparative and collaborative policy work that can be used to improve policy development at the national, sub-national and global levels.
In support of this work, the objectives of this cluster are as follows:
- Sharing information and resources and encouraging discussion on public policies related, but not limited to, care work, reproductive rights, 2SLGBTQIA+ rights, paid and unpaid work, intergovernmental relations, family law and marital status, the criminality of gender identity and non-heterosexual relationships, and the legal recognition of gender rights in support of policy development and advocacy work.
- Hosting events that educate researchers, policymakers, students, and the community about the gendered impacts of public policy development, especially in relation to changing political, economic, environmental, and social conditions.
- Cooperatively producing and disseminating knowledge on gender and public policy through publications, policy papers, op-eds, social media, etc.
- Collaborating with scholars, policymakers, and activists nationally and internationally.
- Supporting the knowledge and skills development of cluster members through regular meetings and a writing and research working group.
In 2024, a new group of scholars, activists, and policymakers reanimated the Gender & Public Policy Cluster. Learn more about the previous iteration at the link below.
Gender and Public Policy Cluster Member Alison Lam participated in a panel about gender policy and COP at the 2025 Bonn Climate Change Conference. Watch the panel on YouTube:
Check out cluster member Minakshi Das's new book, Gender Equity and Indigenous Healthcare in India: A Global Health Governance Perspective.
About the Book:
This research paper critically examines the challenges of healthcare access and governance faced by Indigenous communities in Odisha, India—particularly for women and children. Through qualitative case study methods involving community members, health workers, and local officials, the study explores how gender equity and decentralized health governance intersect with systemic barriers in healthcare delivery. The author proposes an alternative model of community-led governance that promotes accountability, improves maternal and child health outcomes, and integrates Indigenous values and traditional practices with institutional health systems. A valuable resource for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners in public health, global governance, and social justice, this paper contributes important insights into improving health equity in marginalized populations.
Check out cluster member Alison Lam's blog post about the unjust impact of zoning bylaws in Richmond Hill that disproportionately affect Asian-owned businesses.
Minakshi Das is an experienced educator and community development researcher with 15 years of professional experience in the realm of Social/Public Policy with the right blend of research, training, and program management. Dr.Das has a Post-Doctoral degree in Political Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. She has gathered teaching, research and mentoring experience in healthcare management, experiential learning, disaster management and conflict resolution and peace building. Her expertise in maternal and child health well-being and expanded her research horizon into HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, covid-19, breast cancer , oncology nursing, refugees' access to health care, gender equity and environmental health governance. She has been working ardently for Afghan refugee integration and their mental health and well-being in India, UK and Canada having working associations with UNHCR, UNFPA, UNICEF and DFID. As an ardent advocate of human rights in practice, she has extensive global fieldwork experience with disadvantaged regions and vulnerable communities. Currently, she has been working on environmental health and community resiliency in India and Congo crisis and peacebuilding mechanism. She possess publications in national and international peer-reviewed journals. Trained in Generative AI Overview for Project Managers.
Areas of Expertise: Reproductive Health, health systems and community health governance, refugee health, integration and governance, food and water security, community based participatory research and capacity building , experiential learning, disaster management, human rights, conflict resolution and peace building and humanitarian aid.
Shazia Dhanani is a current student in PhD Health program at York University. She has an Honours Bachelor of Health Sciences from the University of Ottawa, and a Master of Public Health from Queen’s University. Throughout her academic career, she has had various opportunities to learn about health inequities persisting among Canadian and global populations, and addressing health issues through evidence-informed action. Her research interests include women and children’s health, and understanding how we can improve access to quality healthcare for these populations. Shazia’s PhD research focuses on addressing menstrual equity among South Asian populations in Canada.
Alison Lam serves as the Critic for Intergovernmental Affairs, Women and Gender on the Shadow Cabinet within the Green Party of Canada. She has issued statements for the party advocating the decriminalization of sex work and collective action on International Women's Day. Moreover, Alison took the initiative of relaunching the Women's Caucus, with programs to promote gender equity and support women, such as mentorship and peer support.
In her role as the Ontario Chair of the Security and Defence wing of G100, Alison created a podcast called 100 Sisters on Security, covering such important gender justice issues as Indigenous rights and forest defence, peace and the Canadian Armed Forces, marginalization of Muslim im/migrants, and climate and gender-responsive financing. Guests have included the only Canadian woman military observer to actively verify the ceasefire in Guatemala in 1997, as well as a Ha-ma-yas Stewardship Network Guardian for the Da’naxda’xw/Awaetlala First Nation.
Radha Nayer is a part-time PhD student in New York University, Faculty of Health, School of Health Policy and Management, Health Policy and Equity Program. Radha‘s research will consider how the nonprofit sector in Canada can re-imagine governance using Black Feminist Theory and transformative justice principles. For the last 20 years, Radha has had a consulting practice that focuses on organizational development in nonprofit, social justice oriented spaces. Her consulting approach sits within anti-Black racist, anti-racist and feminist frameworks. In addition, Radha situates her active commitment to decolonization and reconciliation as a racialized settler who has been complicit and benefitting from colonialism. In addition to her consulting practice, Radha has also worked as an organizer and activist for women’s sexual and reproductive rights and for racial justice. This includes advocacy work in Alberta to include anti-homophobia education in the Calgary school system. In Toronto, she has advocated to ensure funding to offer immigrant and refugee women mobile sexual healthcare and worked pro bono with racialized girls and women to support them to start community programs run by them, for them. She was a member of the board of Shameless, a feminist magazine for young girls and trans youth. Radha looks forward to contributing to the gender in public policy, cluster through her deep knowledge of feminist, service delivery, and advocacy being done in nonprofits and communities, as well as her knowledge of applying feminist research on the ground.
Kaitlin Peters holds a PhD in Sociology from York University in Toronto, Canada. She studied the history of the childcare movement in Ontario from the 1980's to the present day. Her publications on childcare can be found in The Monitor, Jacobin, Policy Options, Spring Magazine, The Breach, and Canadian Dimension. She is currently employed as a policy analyst for the College of Early Childhood Educators. You can find her on X @ktlnapeters and on BlueSky @kaitlinpeters.bsky.social.
Maverick Smith is a Ph.D. candidate in the Critical Disability Studies program at York University whose many post-secondary qualifications have focused on working towards social justice and equity. In addition to being an academic, Maverick is an activist and an author. Maverick is excited to be part of this research cluster and is passionate about bridging the divide between activism and academia. Their post-secondary journey to their current Ph.D. program included graduating with an M.Ed. in Adult Education and Community Development from the University of Toronto. This interdisciplinary graduate degree included a Collaborative Specialization in Sexual Diversity Studies. After completing this M.Ed., Maverick then graduated with an M.A. in Critical Disability Studies from York University, where their Major Research Paper won the Bengt Lindqvist Human Rights Prize.