City aims to shatter glass ceiling

Advisory group created to boost women, minorities across Calgary’s workforce

City councillors agreed Wednesday to promote gender equity and diversity across Calgary following a debate that raised some “uncomfortable” questions about the problems faced by women and minorities.

A council committee voted unanimously to form an advisory committee that will create strategy and policies to address equity concerns. Also, administration was asked to assess the diversity of various municipal boards, commissions and committees, as well as city hall’s own workforce.

Although details were scarce, the city said it hopes to not only address equity challenges for municipal workers but across Calgary by potentially changing the way some city services are delivered.

The decision came after a lengthy public hearing that prompted some passionate debate.

“There’s a whole spectrum of more insidious and less apparent roadblocks and barriers that need to be called out,” said Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra, whose notice of motion set the ball rolling on the city’s proposal.

“And if calling them out is uncomfortable, good, you should be uncomfortable. Women and men don’t make the same amount of money in our city, and (the) diversity of (the municipal) workforce does not reflect our city, and until we’ve achieved a place where that’s possible . . . we have to do this work.”

Women account for just onethird of city staff, compared with the rest of Calgary, where women account for around 47 per cent of the workforce, according to data compiled by the city.

The City of Calgary does better when it comes to women in senior management positions, with women filling 32 per cent of the management positions. Across the city, women make up just 23 per cent of leadership positions.

The report also pointed to a persistent pay gap that has Calgary women earning 77 cents for every dollar men earn, and median income figures that show the city’s immigrant women at the greatest disadvantage in earnings.

In outlining plans to move forward on a strategy, city staff suggested an “intersectional” approach be taken in drafting policy, one that acknowledges multiple identities, including gender, sexual orientation, immigration status and Indigenous identity.

But one phrase in the report, in particular, triggered more heated debate in council chambers.

City administration’s suggestion that “identities contribute to differing experiences and differing degrees of privilege and oppression” was flagged by Coun. Sean Chu, who described the wording as “troubling.”

“To me, it’s very divisive,” Chu said. “(To say) I have privilege and other peoples are being oppressed, that’s dividing them. It’s a little bit too strong to me. And I think we can send the same message without being that strong.”

Coun. Jyoti Gondek pushed back, arguing that systemic barriers are keeping women and minorities from participating in public life. She told fellow committee members that she considered herself an example of “somebody who would probably not be sitting in this seat” if someone hadn’t “taken a chance” in nominating her for a position on the Calgary planning commission in 2012.

“Oppression still exists and bias still exists, and it is very subtle in some cases,” Gondek said. “It is very real, it’s very systemic and we need to address it. It’s just not as outward as it used to be. So we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

The city ’s report also highlighted huge differences in perceptions about the safety of the city between women and men, with a quarter of Calgary women reporting that they felt unsafe walking home at night compared to just 10 per cent of men.

Wednesday’s decision must still go to a full vote of council for final approval.

If it passes, city administration plans to push forward with a voluntary demographic survey that will be conducted during the next round of hiring for the city’s boards, commissions and committees.

Results of that survey could come back to council in early 2019.