Laurier expert alert: International Women’s Day

March 4, 2020
For Immediate Release

Waterloo – International Women’s Day is Sunday, March 8. Wilfrid Laurier University experts are available to speak about women’s achievements, feminist activism, gender equality and related issues.

Tarah Brookfield, associate professor in the departments of History and Youth and Children’s Studies at Laurier’s Brantford campus, is an expert on the history of women’s suffrage in Ontario and on the history of Canadian women’s political activism and child welfare work, particularly during the World Wars and Cold War. Contact: tbrookfield@wlu.ca or 519.756.8228 x5792

Stacey Hannem, associate professor in the Department of Criminology, is an expert on the effects of crime on the lives of marginalized and vulnerable persons. She is currently conducting an international comparative study of the legal regulation of sex work in Canada, New Zealand and Nevada, U.S. Her forthcoming book (co-authored with Christopher J. Schneider) is Sexual Misconduct and Media: Trump and the Weinstein Effect. Contact: 519.755.2053 or shannem@wlu.ca

Ginette Lafreniere, associate professor in the Faculty of Social Work, director of Laurier’s Social Innovation Research Group and director of the Manulife Centre for Community Health Research (MCCHR), is an expert on gendered violence, women’s health, community engagement and arts-based social development. Contact: 519.884.1970 x5237 or glafreniere@wlu.ca

Allison McDonald, associate professor in Laurier’s Department of Biology, is an expert in bioenergetics. She is available to comment on issues facing women and people with disabilities in science, as well as on science communication. Contact: amcdonald@wlu.ca or 519.884.0710 x4180

Eliana Barrios Suarez is an associate professor in the Faculty of Social Work and a social worker. She both researches and, in her practice, supports those affected by violence against women. She is an expert on trauma, resilience and gendered resistance against violence and injustice. Much of her research focuses on fostering community engagement to prevent sexual violence in the global South, particularly Peru. Contact: esuarez@wlu.ca

Jennifer Root, assistant professor in the Faculty of Social Work, is an expert on gender-based violence, including intimate partner violence, child exposure to woman abuse, and other forms of trauma perpetrated against women and girls. She is currently researching resistance, help-seeking and conceptions of safety among women who’ve experienced gender-based violence. Contact: 519.756.8228 x5458 or jroot@wlu.ca

Helen Ramirez, faculty member in Laurier’s Women and Gender Studies program, researches the status of women in Canada and, specifically, why women continue to experience marginality in paid and unpaid work. Contact: helen.ramirez@me.com