Stories and statistics illustrating global gender inequality, sexual abuse, harassment, and women undermining women abound in both professional research and public discourse. Depression is the number one theft of productivity among women globally. White women are dying earlier than their mothers from “diseases of despair”: alcoholism, opioid abuse, eating disorders, suicide and overdoses. Also, it's estimated that it will now take 217 years for women to achieve economic parity in the workplace. When combined with the #metoo and #timesup movements, it is clear: not only are women not thriving around the world, they are being held down and punished for challenging the patriarchy.
And yet there is hope; when women thrive, so do children, families, communities and the world. The purpose of this daylong Appreciative Inquiry Summit is for women and men to explore together: What does Positive Psychology have to offer to address the complex challenges facing women today? How can we contribute to a world where thriving women, gender equality and safety are the norms? What specifically can we do in our local communities and organizations to create positive gender equal change? And how can we advance dialogue and research to further thriving women in a thriving world?