Prosperity for women is in jeopardy
The ubiquitous glass ceiling for women has taken some hits lately. It was deeply perforated as Dominique Anglade, 46, became not only the first woman leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec and therefore, Leader of the Official Opposition, but also the first Black leader in the province.
Anglade, an engineer with a master’s degree in business administration, is a former minister of the economy, science and innovation.
In her victory statement, she noted that she was proud to be the leader of a party “that has always pushed for social and economic progress.” Her words were timely.
While women continue to celebrate inspiring “firsts,” we are equally cognizant that our gender is struggling under both the social and economic weight of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The social consequences of the pandemic are painfully visible. Adding to the agony faced by front-line workers and caregivers, many of whom are female, the trauma and torment of femicide has again reared its cruel head.
When male violence lurks in the shadows, sheltering safely at home is not an option for women. Recent reports that the horrific murders in Nova Scotia included incidences of domestic violence, which were known to authorities, are devastating. With each male assault or murder of a woman, Canadian women relive the slaughter of young women at Ecole Polytechnique and remember the lost lives of missing, murdered and Indigenous women.
If social scars are clear, economic scars are messy — and far reaching. Just as developing countries were making headway on education for girls and women, schools were shuttered, placing future careers on hold. Women in the global labour force have either lost jobs, or left jobs, to care for children or sick family members. We cannot afford to narrow the pipeline for female opportunity, so retraining and retaining women in the workplace must be a global priority.
Yet in our haste to reopen the economy, we should take the opportunity to recreate a fairer world order — one that is based on equity.
A recent Oxfam report estimates the global value of women’s unpaid domestic labour at $10.9 trillion. A company worth that much would dominate the world economy, yet women perform that work for free.
Underpaid work for women does not fare better. Prof. Jennifer Robson of Carleton University noted last week that “during the pandemic, it has been sectors that traditionally employ more women — health care, long-term care, and personal support workers, social service agencies and grocery store clerks — that have been most critical in navigating our way through the crisis … yet women haven’t enjoyed the same prosperity in income or wealth as men … it’s long past time to rethink that foundation.”
Unfortunately, that foundation is true for businesswomen as well, who have had their own battles for equal access to venture capital, not to mention seats on corporate boards.
A report entitled “Falling through the Cracks” by the Canadian Women’s
Chamber of Commerce and Dream Legacy Foundation demonstrate alarming statistics for businesswomen: “53 per cent of women entrepreneurs have experienced an additional burden of child care, as opposed to only 12 per cent of male entrepreneurs. Sixty-one per cent of women-owned businesses reported loss of contracts, customers and clients. In contrast, 34 per cent of businesses across Canada report cancellation of contracts.”
Attempting to create a level playing field for prosperity is urgent. Recent progress needs to be safeguarded, shared and developed if it is not to be risked. Governments can only do so much. The private sector and civil society must also step up with innovative and creative ideas.
Fortunately, Canada has no end of intrepid visionaries, one of which is Pamela Jeffery, the founder of the Women’s Executive Network and Canadian Board Diversity Council. Jeffrey has focused her formidable talents toward building an inclusive new panCanadian not-for-profit, which will be announced this week. The organization will explicitly link prosperity and women and identifies the pandemic as a significant ‘off-ramp” for women, with the potential to erase the progress already made.
The present circumstances are unprecedented but women are resilient fighters, who have battled over centuries for equality. This time, our equality must also include prosperity. Penny Collenette is an adjunct professor of law at the University of Ottawa and was a senior director of the Prime Minister’s Office for Jean Chrétien. She is a freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @penottawa