Moving Forward with Gender Equality Week
This week marks Gender Equality Week in Canada, a time when the country celebrates significant achievements in advancing gender equality and reconfirms its commitment to addressing persistent gender equality gaps.
On a global scale, the gender gap only closed by 0.1% between 2023 and 2024, according to the World Economic Forum. To measure that gender gap, four areas are considered: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.
In its 2024 report, the World Economic Forum acknowledged that a “lack of meaningful, widespread change” is slowing down the rate of progress, adding it could take more than 130 years to reach gender parity.
Some countries have even seen a regression in gender equality in recent years. In Afghanistan, for example, the fundamental rights of women and girls have been targeted since the Taliban’s takeover of the country in 2021. New morality laws passed just last month now prohibit women from showing their faces or letting their voices be heard in public.
While Gender Equality Week highlights the significant strides some countries have made, many opportunities remain to pursue equity globally and locally.
Worldwide Gender Equity: Paris Olympics
This summer saw a significant achievement in efforts to reach gender parity as the 2024 Olympics in Paris were the first ever to have as many places for women athletes as male athletes. The last time the Summer Olympics were held in Paris—100 years ago—just 4.4% of the athletes were women. The first year women competed in the Olympics was 1900 and they only represented 2.2% of participants.
National Gender Equity: Reproductive and 2SLGBTQIA+ Rights
Abortion rights are increasingly becoming recognized as human rights around the world. While the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States in 2022 was a devastating setback on abortion rights in that country, the move was seen as an outlier, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights.
In Canada, abortion has been legal for decades. Even so, many individuals continue to experience barriers to access. These barriers are heightened in rural and remote communities and for Indigenous and racialized people, people on low incomes and for young women and gender-diverse youth.
Gender equity won’t be possible without equity for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Both Canada and the U.S. have taken significant steps towards equity for 2SLGBTQIA+ people in the past 20 years—including the legalization of same-sex marriage in both countries. However, the community continues to face discrimination and even violence.
With upcoming elections in B.C. and the United States, now is a crucial time to speak out and support organizations advocating for gender rights and justice.
BC’s Gender Equity: Addressing the Gender Pay Gap
One significant milestone worth celebrating in BC is the introduction of the Pay Transparency Act. Under the Act, which became law in 2023, BC employers must include the expected pay or pay range in public job postings. In the coming years, employers above certain sizes will also be required to post annual pay transparency reports.
This new law is expected to impact the gender pay gap in BC, which was 17% in 2023. That pay gap disproportionately affects women who are Indigenous, racialized, a newcomer, disabled or 2SLGBTQIA+.
Gender Equity at YWCA Metro Vancouver
At YWCA Metro Vancouver, our commitment to addressing the gender equality gap goes well beyond Gender Equality Week. In fact, our ongoing mission is to advance gender equity alongside women, families, Two-Spirit and gender diverse people. We do this through our advocacy work and through the holistic supports we provide, including affordable housing, early learning and child care, training and employment services.
With an election coming in BC, now is the time to educate yourself on key issues that could impact gender equality in the province. Read up on each parties’ platforms and register to vote in the Oct. 19 election.
