Montserrat Gas, director of the UIC Barcelona Institute for Advanced Family Studies (IESF), and Marc Grau, also of the Institute, participated in the 20th World Congress on Sociology, Resurrection Authoritarianism: The Sociology of New Entanglements of Religions, Politics, and Economies, which took place in Melbourne, Australia, from 25 June to 1 July. Both researchers participated as members of the Childcare & Family Policies Chair, funded by the Joaquim Molins Figueras Foundation
The IESF researchers jointly gave an oral presentation titled “Understanding Family Resilience During COVID-19: The Role of Spirituality and Religiosity,” which analyses how religiosity contributed to improving family resilience during the Covid-19 pandemic. This project is part of the 2021 RELIG 00022 project, funded by the Directorate for Religious Affairs of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
Bachelor’s degree lecturer and expert in paternity Marc Grau presented the research conducted with Ashlee Borgkvist, titled “Reflexive Masculinity: A Theoretical Framework of Fathers ‘in between’ in the Organizations.” In this research, the authors present a theoretical model that allows examination of which elements and mechanisms would explain why some parents, even though they want to use them, do not make use of the flexibility policies offered by the companies themselves.
Law professor and Religion and Canon Family Law expert Montserrat Gas participated in a thematic panel on Human Rights, with a presentation that analyses the balance between promoting gender equality and respecting the religious freedom of individuals and groups. The IESF director discussed different possible approaches to reconcile these seemingly opposite ideals. The study concludes assuring that there is no single approach and that a dialogue between religious communities, activists and legislators is necessary, so that actions can be taken to overcome the challenges posed by the intersection between gender equality and religious beliefs.
