Women from all walks of life gathered at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) on March 7 to celebrate International Women's Day with a panel of local female community leaders.
Moderated by UFV School of Business director Dr. Khyati Shetty, this event featured UFV president Dr.Joanne MacLean, Dr. Abimbola Eke, Dr. Cathy Press, and Christine Seymour.
These women discussed a wide range of subjects, with the primary focus being the ongoing disparity between how women and men are treated in Canada.
One of the biggest talking points on this subject is the wage gap, which is still an ongoing problem in this country, according to data from Statistics Canada.
As recently as 2022, Canadian women only received an average of $0.88 for every dollar a man made. This issue is especially prevalent in B.C., where the average hourly wage ratio for women is only $0.85 – the second-lowest in the country.
B.C. is in a similar position when it comes to the number of women serving in management roles, with only 38.4 per cent of the province's management positions being held by women, which is once again the second-lowest percentage among all 10 provinces.
"My hope is this event will not only inspire but also serve as a call to action, reminding us of the importance of supporting and uplifting one another as we continue on the path toward equality," MacLean said.
Many of the speakers also addressed issues facing specific groups of women, including Indigenous women and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
While the percentage of men and women who live in low income situations in Canada is quite similar – 9.9 and 10 per cent, respectively – that's not the case for Indigenous and non-Indigenous residents.
According to Statistics Canada, more than 17 per cent of Indigenous people in Canada lived with low income in 2022, with this number only being 9.7 per cent for the non-Indigenous population. This makes Indigenous women particularly vulnerable to experiencing poverty.
"Not enough stories of our Indigenous people -- especially our women -- have been heard, and I think that's the work behind Truth and Reconciliation," Seymour said. "When we can really get an understanding of what's happened, we can keep moving forward in a direction that's good for all."
International Women's Day first began in 1909 and is celebrated all over the world, with women gathering together for events like the UFV panel and much more to try and work towards true gender equality.
