Think we have equality between women and men in Canada?
Think again. Here are some statistics from the Government of Canada:
- Not enough women are advancing into leadership roles:
- Women make up just 21% of Financial Post 500 board members.
- We may have our first gender-balanced cabinet in Canada, but women are still under-represented in politics:
- 26% of those elected to the 42nd parliament are women; in 2015 women made up 28% of municipal councillors and only 18% of mayors.
- Women in the workforce tend to earn less than men:
- Average earnings for women in all job tenures were 68.4% of men's earnings, suggesting a gap of over 30% in 2014; 2/3 of part-time workers are women.
- Women continue to be responsible for the majority of caregiving:
- Women spend more time caring for children, spending about 50 hours per week on unpaid child care, compared to 24.4 hours spent by men;
- Women are almost twice as likely to spend more than 10 hours per week caring for a senior;
- Women spend an average of 13.8 hours per week on household chores, compared to 8.3 hours spent by men.
- Women experience higher rates of gender-based violence:
- Women are at a 20% higher risk of violent victimization than men even when all other risk factors are taken into account;
- Women account for 87% of victims of sexual offenses;
- Women make up 76% of sexual harrasment victims.
These women are your sisters, your mothers, your friends. Your future children. If we want change to occur, we need to do more than believe it's possible: we need to do something to make it happen.
On Wednesday, March 8, let's stand together and #PressForProgress. Wear purple in support of women's rights everywhere and do something to effect change: listen to a woman speak without interrupting; be aware of how you portray or respond to women in social media; support your female friends and family. Ask them about their experiences. Share yours. Because women shouldn't have to wait 217 more years for gender parity.
