About GC

The International Association of Constitutional Law convenes a Research Group for studying under a comparative perspective the way Constitutions deal with gender equality and women’s rights as well as the adjudications of international and domestic courts, which represent a fundamental field of study for assessing the respect of contemporary constitutionalism. 

Notably, the Research Group focuses on crucial issues still pending in the fields of the protection of women’s rights, such as the guarantee of equality in marital relations, the protection of women’s autonomy and independence, sexual and reproductive rights, especially the right to abortion, states’ commitment in erasing specific gender-related physical, psychological and sexual violence. The Research Group also focuses on issues as substantive gender equality, intersectional discriminations, representation of women and LGTB+ people in the legal profession, role of women and LGTB+ in constitution-making, access to public services, right to political participation, sexual harassment and gender-based violence, reproductive rights, the impact of religious norms on the enforcement of patriarchal hetero-normativity, women’s rights in war and post-conflict situations, and transitional justice.

Aiming thus to address these topics both at the level of constitutional theory and at the level of the practical aspects on rights’ protection, the group welcomes constitutional law scholars, constitutional designers and practitioners in the field of women’s rights.

Indicative Activities

The Research Group aims at acting as a platform for facilitating a critical dialogue among scholars working on gender issues in relation to constitutional law, also by establishing collaborations with educational institutions, international organizations, national human rights institutions and civil society organizations. 

The Research Group will therefore perform the following main activities:

(1) To organize events (including webinars) on various issues and themes concerning the intersection of gender and constitutional law. 

(2) To organize research on issues related to gender and constitutional law. 

(3) To cooperate with other groups operating in the same field to increasing gender-sensitivity in the society. 

Members of the Research Group

Janaina Penalva Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Brazilia

Valentina Rita Scotti Post-doctoral Research in Comparative Public Law, Koç University, Turkey

Irene Spigno Director of the Centre of Comparative Constitutional Studies of the Inter-American Academy of Human Rights

Surya Deva Associate Professor of Law, City University of Hong Kong 

Sophie Weerts Associate Professor of Public Law, University of Lausanne, Switzerland

Francesco Biagi Adjunct Professor of Comparative Constitutionalism, University of Bologna School of Law

Elena Yi Ph.D., University of Berkley

Ruijun Dai Associate Professor, Institute of International Law, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS); Secretary General, Center for Gender and Law Studies of the Law Institute of CASS

Ana Micaela Alterio Associate Professor of Constitutional Law, ITAM (Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México)

Helena Maria Alviar Garcia Professor of Legal Theory, University of Los Andes

Ruth Rubio Marin Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Sevilla

Kelly Picard Post-doctoral Researcher at the School of Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences, France  

Bertil Emrah Oder Dean of the Koç University Law School, Director of the Koç Center for Gender Studies (Koç-Kam)

Eleonora Ceccherini Associate Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Genoa

Simona Rodriquez Assistant Professor of Comparative Public Law, University of Genoa

Lídia Balogh Research Fellow, Institute for Legal Studies Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Centre for Social Sciences

Magdalena Ines Correa Henao Director of the Department of Constitutional Law, Externado, Colombia 

Nora Götzmann Senior Adviser, Business and Human Rights, Danish Institute for Human Rights; Adjunct Researcher, Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland

Francesca Brunetta d’Usseaux Associate Professor in Comparative Law, University of Genoa

Serena Tolino Junior Professor, University of Hamburg

Christina Velentza Visiting Research Fellow MiReKoç, Koç University, Turkey 

Marie-Elisabeth Baudoin Maître de Conférences, Ecole de Droit, Université Clermont Auvergne 

Timea Drinoczi Professor at University of Pécs, Faculty of Law in Hungary  

Sara Borrillo Fellow Post-doctoral researcher, University 'L'Orientale', Naples, Italy 

Iyabode Ogunniran Associate Professor, University of Lagos, Akoka, Nigeria

Agnieszka Bień-Kacała, Prof. US, University of Szczecin, Poland

Graziella Romeo, Associate Professor, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy 

Julia Kapelańska-Pręgowska, Assistant Professor, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland

Anita Blagojevic, Associate Professor, Department of Constitutional and Political Sciences, Osijek, Croatia

Aleta Sprague, Senior Legal Analyst at WORLD   

Silvia Gagliardi, Post-doctoral researcher, Sutherland School of Law, University College Dublin, Ireland