Minister for Women’s Rights Najat Vallaud-Belkacem at Columbia University

On October 14th, The World Leaders Forum program featured a conversation between Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, Minister for Women’s Rights and Government Spokesperson of France and Anne-Marie Slaughter, President of the New America Foundation.

This conference was entitled "The Balancing Act: Women, Work and Family in the United States and France". The discussion was moderated by Alondra Nelson, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Institute for Research on Women and Gender.

The French Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem defends the belief that national policies can and should be used to support women’s personal and professional goals and to implement a "real equality between women and men."

In her essay "Why Women Still Can’t Have It All", published in The Atlantic in 2012, Anne-Marie Slaughter fueled a national debate on how the difficulties of finding a work-family balance have limited women in the top echelons of business and government.

These two public figures and high-profile career women discussed gender equality in the U.S. and in France. They also talked about the strategies to ensure that the next generation of women and men can have enough for all.

This event was brought to the Columbia University community as part of a special series of events celebrating the Centennial of the Columbia Maison Française.

Click to watch the video of the conference

All pictures here

This program is cosponsored by the Alliance Program, Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States, Institute for Research on Women and Gender, Maison Fraiçaise, and the VillaGillet Walls and Bridges Festival.