Gender equity

Jun 8

Female leaders and the double bind: Why leadership styles that work for men might not work for women

Kara Arnold, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Guest Contributor

This blog post is part of the Federation Equity Issues Portfolio’s series marking the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day.

The double bind is “a situation in which a person must choose between equally unsatisfactory alternatives: a punishing and inescapable dilemma,” according to a Catalyst study, “The Double-Bind Dilemma for Women in Leadership: Damned if You Do, Doomed if You Don’t.”...

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Apr 20

Federal Election 2011: Incremental rise in female candidates

Nancy Peckford, Equal Voice
Guest Contributor

This blog post is part of the Federation Equity Issues Portfolio’s series marking the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day.

With nominations now closed, Equal Voice has confirmed that 407 women candidates, representing 31 percent of all candidates for Canada´s five major political parties, will be on the ballot for the May 2nd federal election. This represents a slight two point increase from the 2008 federal election when 29 percent of major party candidates were women.

The New Democratic Party is the clear leader with 125 female candidates, nearly 41 percent of all its candidates, which is the highest percentage fielded by a political party in Canada´s history.  The Bloc Québécois...

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Apr 8

Maternal health and Canada's global gender equality ranking

Kathleen A. Lahey, Queen’s University
Guest Contributor

This blog post is part of the Federation Equity Issues Portfolio’s series marking the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day.

In 2010, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) adopted a new gender equality measure that dropped Canada from number 8 on sex equality issues to number 16. The new Gender Inequality Index (GII) places more emphasis on how well resources, opportunities, and incomes are shared by women and men in each country, and less emphasis on Canada’s wealth.

Upon receiving the World Health Organisation’s (...

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Mar 8

Change demanded, celebrated on International Women's Day 2011

Jane Arscott, Athabasca University
Guest Contributor

This blog post is part of the Federation Equity Portfolio’s series marking the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day.

March 8, 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day (IWD).The United Nations has declared the theme for the centenary as, ‘Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women.’

In Canada, the majority (57%) agrees that much remains to be done to achieve gender equality. Moreover,...

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Nov 5

Redeveloping balance: Women after workplace bullying

Elsie Hambrook
Guest Contributor

Recently, researchers at the University of New Brunswick interviewed 36 women from Atlantic Canada who had been bullied in the workplace. What they learned is surprising. The researchers’ main conclusions, published last month in an academic journal, was that women could not continue working in a business-as-usual way after experiencing bullying because it interfered with their health and work practices.

“Their approach to work, energy while at work, and ability to accomplish work are affected.” Their thoughts were consumed...

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Mar 8

International Women’s Day 2010: Remembering Four Trailblazing Haitian Feminists

Malinda Smith, Vice-President, Equity

In Haitian Creole there is a proverb that says, “Men anpil, chay pa lau,” which roughly translates as “many hands lighten the load.”  This proverb aptly captures the transnational story of women’s struggles for equity and social justice. It also symbolizes the inclusive approach of four trailblazing Haitian feminists – Myriam Merlet, Myrna Narcisse Theodore, Magalie Marcelin and ...

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Mar 5

Status of Women in Canada on International Women’s Day 2010

Judy Rebick, Ryerson University
Guest Contributor

It is International Women’s Day 2010, forty years after the Report of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women.  A generation has passed, my generation.  In some ways, there has been a revolution in the status of women since that time.  When I went to McGill University, just before the hearings of the Royal Commission,  only 30 percent of the undergraduates were women and almost no professors or graduate students.  In four years of study at McGill, I never read a book written by a woman nor had a female professor. Abortion...

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Mar 4

Gender gap and beyond: Are women the key to a Conservative majority?

Elisabeth Gidengil, McGill University
Guest Contributor

The term “gender gap” became a staple of political commentary following the 1980 United States presidential election. In that election, women were much less likely than men to vote for Ronald Reagan. The term is now used to refer to any differences in the political preferences and political behaviour of women and men. Gender gaps are one reason why the Conservatives have still not been able to break out of minority territory. In the 2008 federal election, women were less likely than men to vote Conservative and the five-point difference could well have been enough to deny them a majority....

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