Dear editor,
The theme for International Women’s Day 2019 celebrated on March 8 of each year is #BalanceForBetter, which means we are working towards a world where gender balance will drive a better work experience.
International Women’s Day was created in order to celebrate the historical, cultural, and political achievements of women. It was the most discussed topic on Facebook, even more than the SuperBowl!
Following the #MeToo and #TimesUp campaigns, which garnered a great deal of media attention, the recent trend has seen more men as allies being brought into the discussions.
It is clear that gender is on the mainstream radar. Men’s role in society has become more varied and gender roles more fluid. However, the road to true equality is a long one!
While we are striving to achieve a greater gender balance in the workplace, we continue to witness disparities.
For instance, men interrupt women in the workplace three times more often than they interrupt other men. And in a study of performance reviews, 66 percent of women received negative feedback on their personal style such as “You can sometimes seem abrasive” whereas only one percent of men received similar feedback.
And while, for the first time in history, women outnumber men in the workforce in Canada–7.1 million women to 6.9 million men–women continue to make .71 cents on the dollar compared to men, and women continue to do three times more housework than their male partners.
We know that a balanced world is a better world, and while we continue to strive to achieve it, let us never forget that we haven’t arrived yet, and pledge to challenge the status quo whenever we witness such imbalances.
On this March 8, 2019, please honour the women in your life.
Sincerely,
Donna Kroocmo
