Conferences and Seminars

21 June 2024  – London, England – ‘Academic research versus policy research: The singer or the song?’ presentation at Government Social Research Annual Conference.

14 January 2023 – Zurich, Switzerland – ‘Eros makes it easy – The idea of erotic capital’, presentation and debate (in English) with Catherine Newmark, University of Zurich Philosophy Festival at Kulturareal Muhle Tiefenbrunnen, 8pm to 9.30pm.

11-13 November 2022 – Arlington, Virginia, USA  – ‘Why Aren’t Women the Heroes?  Gender and Social Roles in the 21st Century’, Conference presentation at the Institute for Humane Studies.

4 June 2022  –  6.45pm  – Hay Festival –  ‘Desire and being desired’, Panel debate with Peter Tatchell and Katherine Angel, How The Light Gets In, Institute of Art and Ideas, Hay on Wye.

24-27 May 2020 – Leuven, Belgium – ‘Is erotic capital an important driver of inequality in the 21st century?’, Conference on Beauty and Inequality,  University of Leuven, by invitation only.  Postponed to May 2021 due to Covid-19.

22-24 May 2020 – Hay Festival, How The Light Gets In,  Festival of Ideas – panel debate on ‘Power and Promiscuity’, and a solo talk on ‘Sexual Politics: Has the #MeToo movement changed anything?’.

8-10 November 2019 – Puebla, Mexico – Ciudad de las Ideas  –  Public lecture on ‘Why attractiveness is the key to success in the 21st century’.

23 January 2019 – Manchester University, Department of Politics – ‘Are feminists right to say the beauty bias is unfair?  The social, political, and economic value of erotic capital’,  Comparative Politics and Sociology seminar, 4-6pm.

28 November 2018 – Guadalajara, Mexico – Guadalajara Book Fair (FIL) – Universidad de Guadalajara Centro Universitario de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades  round table discussion on #MeToo movement with Victoria Abril, Lydia Cacho, Sabina Berman, and Margarita Zavala – 17.00 to 19.00 – Room 6, Expo Guadalajara.

18-19 January 2018 – Barcelona, Spain – Centre d’Estudis Demografics (CED) and IPUMS, University of Minnesota-organised Data Forum on Harmonisation and Uses of European Microdata – presentation on cross-national comparative analysis of the European Union Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS)

7-9 December 2017 – Cologne, Germany – University of Cologne – Conference on International Comparative Social Research – presentation on comparative analyses of paid and unpaid work. (by invitation)

28 September 2017 – Southampton University Debating Union – speaker in panel debate  on ‘Should prostitution be decriminalised?’ – 6.30pm.

28-31 May 2017 – Prague, Czech Republic – 23rd Congress of the  World Association for Sexual Health (WASH) – keynote lecture on ‘Erotic Capital and Sexual Markets’ – Clarion Congress Hotel.

26 October 2016 – Cambridge University, England – Cambridge Society for Economic Pluralism seminar on Women as Economic Victims, with Ben Southwood and Dr Anne Boring – Mill Lane Room 4 –   5.30-7pm

5 June 2016 – Hay Festival, How The Light Gets In,  speaker in panel debate on ‘Power, Status and Sexuality’, 12 noon.

21  January 2016 – Trinity College, Dublin –  University Philosophical Society debate on ‘This house would use its sexuality to get ahead’, with Samantha Brick, and others, 7.30pm

15 October 2015 – University of York, England – York Union debate on the Decriminalisation of Prostitution, with Julie Bindel, Fiona Broadfoot and Laura Lee, 6.30 – 8pm

8 October 2015 – Luxembourg- European Investment Bank Institute – public lecture on ‘The Power of Attractiveness: Erotic Capital as the Fourth Personal Asset’, 1-2pm

9 October 2015 – Luxembourg Institute of Social and Economic Research (LISER) – Capital Inequality and Careers: Workshop on Gender and Family Issues, seminar on ‘Why People Fail to Capitalise on Their Attractiveness’,  12.30-1.30pm

22-25 August 2015 – Chicago, USA – American Sociological Association Annual Conference – special theme of Sexuality – presentations on ‘Sex for Seniors – Internet Dating, Playfairs and Erotic Capital’ on Monday 24 August 10.30 am,  and ‘The Sugar in His Tea: Sexuality, Patriarchy and Sexual Politics’ on Sunday 23 August 8.30 am

29 May 2015 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Women Grow Companies Conference, presentation on ‘Erotic Capital’.

24 -26 May 2015 – Hay Festival, How the Light Gets In,  speaker in panel debates:  ‘Desire, Dreams and Happiness’ and ‘Love Incorporated’, and solo talk on ‘Digital Fantasies’.

16 December 2014 – Prague, Czech Republic – Institute for Social and Economic Research,  Public lecture on ‘Erotic capital: Why do men gain more than women from beauty?’, 4 pm.

26 November 2014 – University of Southampton, England – lecture on ‘Erotic capital – the secret of success’

24 October 2014 – Inside Out Festival, London – Panel discussion on ‘Women of the World: Female Diplomats? Unthinkable…’ with Helen McCarthy, Nicola Brewer, Julie Bindel and Serena Kutchinsky – Somerset House, 7pm

9 October 2014 –  Denmark – Roskilde University – lecture and discussion on ‘Why attractive people are more successful – globally’ – 10.30am

9 October 2014 –   Copenhagen, Denmark – Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS) in conjunction with Copenhagen University Sociology Department and Danish National Centre for Social Research (SFI) – lecture and discussion on ‘Erotic Capital in the Northern European and Asian context’ – 2.15pm –

8 October 2014 – Helsinki, Finland – KELA Research Department,  Lecture on ‘Why European Union ‘gender equality’ and social policies are doomed to fail’ 1pm

9 August 2014 – Wilderness Festival, Oxfordshire – speaker in panel debate on ‘Monogamy Equals Monotony’ with Helen Croydon and Andrew Pierce.

13-14 June 2014 – Switzerland – University of Konstanz Business School – dialogin Delta Intercultural Academy conference on Global Leadership Competence- Culture, Language and Interpersonal Qualities – presentation on Erotic Capital and Leadership Competence

25 May 2014 – Hay Festival,  How The Light Gets In, Festival of Ideas – speaker in panel debate on ‘Women On Top’  with Alison Kennedy and others, panel debate on ‘Living Differently’ with R Rowland Smith and Brooke Magnanti, and solo talk on ‘New Trends in Sexuality’.

4 February 2014 – Stockholm University, Sweden – Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI) – seminar on Revisiting Preference Theory: Do lifestyle preferences help to predict behaviour? 10am

21 November 2013 – University College London – UCLU Conservative Society – Free Market Feminism – panel discussion with Ceri Goddard, Fawcett Society, and Amber Rudd MP – 7-9 pm

18 November 2013 – University of Cork, Ireland – Philosophical Society – Debate with Julie Bindel on ‘If you have got it, flaunt it’   7.30pm

12 November 2013 – The Other Club, Carnaby Street, London – ‘Looking Good?’, panel debate with Patsy Kensit, Laura Bates, Catherine McKinnel and Carla Buzasi – 7pm

7 November 2013 – University of Kent – School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research seminar – talk on ‘Erotic Capital: Dragging Bourdieu (and the Social Sciences) into the 21st Century’ 4.30-6pm

28 October 2013 – Reading University – Economics Department – seminar on preference theory  ‘Is human behaviour malleable enough for EU social engineering of the workforce and family life to work?’ – 2pm

7 June 2013 – Bamberg, Germany – 4th European Congress on Family Research: The Future of the Family – Demands on Family Policy and Family Science – lecture on Erotic Capital

26-27 May 2013 – Hay Festival – How The Light Gets In Festival of Ideas,  solo talk ‘The New Rules: Internet Dating, Playfairs and Erotic Power’, and speaker in two panel debates: ‘The prejudice of intellectuals’ and ‘Family futures’ .

28-29 May 2013 – Paris – OECD Forum

16 April 2013 – Brussels, Belgium – Flemish-Dutch House deBuren, public lecture on ‘Erotic Capital – how it affects all aspects of life’, plus interview by Nadia Dala, 7.30pm

4 April 2013 – Vienna, Austria – WIENERIN Summit in the Federation of Austrian Industries, public lecture on ‘Children and Career – Solving the Conflict’

22 November 2012 – Cambridge – speaker in The Cambridge Union Society debate on ‘This house believes genders exist to oppress’, at 8.30pm in the University of Cambridge, along with Anne Moir, Susan Brownmiller, Judith ‘Jack’ Halberstam, and Milton Diamond.

20 November 2012 – London – British Parliament, Commons Select Committee

6-8 November 2012 – Prague and Brno, Czech Republic – four public lectures on the theory of erotic capital – on 6 and 7 November at Masaryk University in Brno, for the Social Science Department, and on 8 November at Charles University in Prague, for the Demography Department (Faculty of Natural Sciences) and the Social Sciences Department, at 12.30 and 18.30 respectively.

22 October 2012 – London – Keynote speaker on ‘Feminist Myths’ in the BSA’s  Work, Employment and Society 25th Anniversary conference, British Library

17 October 2012 – London – speaker on a panel event discussing ‘The Secrets of Success: Women in Power’, held at the Tower of London, at 18.15, along with Tracy Borman and Ceri Goddard

16 October 2012 – Oxford – talk and discussion on the theory of erotic capital at Balliol College, Oxford University, at 7.45pm, organised by the Cerberus Society

11 October 2012 – London – lecture and discussion on Erotic Capital at the University of London Union, Malet Street, 6.30pm

5 October 2012 – Helsinki, Finland – Keynote paper on ‘Erotic capital, sexual pleasure and sexual markets’ in the NACS conference, 12.30

27 September 2012 – Berlin, Germany – ‘Internet Dating and Playfairs: A New Trend’, public lecture at WZB research institute, Berlin, Germany, 4pm.

31 August 2012 – Manchester – speaker in panel debate on the impact of attractiveness in public and private life in the 21st century in the Abandon Normal Devices (AND) festival at the Cornerhouse Art Centre

5 June 2012 – Brussels, Belgium – speaker at seminar on social policy in the European Parliament

3 June 2012 – Hay-on-Wye, England – speaker on erotic capital at two events in the philosophy festival How the Light Gets In of the Institute of Art and Ideas: ‘Selling ourselves’ panel debate, and ‘Erotic capital: Trap or Asset?’ solo talk plus Q+A

23 April 2012 – Bergen, Norway – speaker on erotic capital theory at the University of Bergen

18 April 2012 – Maastricht, the Netherlands – lecture on ‘Why Aren’t Women the Heroes?’ at University of Maastricht

7 March 2012 – Brussels, Belgium – speaker on employment and social policy at European Parliament seminar

5 December 2011 – St Andrews – speaker on erotic capital theory at St Andrews University

18 November 2011 – Stockholm, Sweden- keynote speaker at HARO conference on family and childcare policies

12 September 2011 – Berlin, Germany – WZB public lecture on Erotic Capital plus Q+A

27 August 2011 – Edinburgh Book Festival – A talk on How We Use our Sex Appeal to Get Ahead – Scottish Power Studio Theatre

Almedalen policy fair in Visby, Sweden – 5 July 2011 Axess Foundation seminar on social policy and its outcomes – 6 July 2011 HARO seminar: What family policies parents want