RENOWNED feminist Germaine Greer will be the guest speaker at a major international three-day conference on ‘Women and Ageing’ being held at the University of Limerick from May 20 to 22.
The conference will discuss intersections of the cultural and social dimensions of women and ageing and their impact on the wider community.
Some 60 delegates from across the globe will present papers from a variety of perspectives such as cultural and literary studies, media studies and sociology.
Topics include motherhood, spinsterhood, sexuality, women minorities, health, and fashion.
Germaine Greer’s address, on Thursday May 21 at 6pm in the Jean Monnet Theatre, will discuss the ways in which motherhood is “being dismembered, so that the genetic mother, the womb mother and the legal mother may all be different individuals”.
It will address issues such as surrogacy, egg donation and gestation outside the uterus in relation to women’s lack of control over the institutions that regulate these processes.
Ultimately the talk will explore the consequences of reproductive technology for women and raise questions about their implications for women’s autonomy.
The event will be open to the public and will conclude with a 30-minute question and answer session with Germaine Greer. Tickets for the talk can be purchased via www.eventbrite.ie.
