Join the Glendon School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) and the Centre for Feminist Research, York University on February 15, 2022, at 5:30 pm, to explore the issue of women in leadership. We bring together a panel of passionate and trail-blazing women who will share their leadership experiences in the public and private sector, including the challenges and opportunities, and strategies for advancing gender equity and women’s rights in Canada and beyond.
Our panelists:
Paulette Senior, CEO and President, Canadian Women’s Foundation
Kathleen Wynne, MPP Don Valley West
Dr. Dawn Lavell-Harvard, Director, First Peoples House of Learning, Trent University
Dr. Kristin Blakely, GSPIA Senior Fellow
Christine Boyle, Vancouver City Councillor
The event will be moderated by Dr. Minelle Mahtani, Brenda and David McLean Chair in Canadian Studies at the University of British Columbia.
Women in Leadership
We need women in leadership roles more than ever. In Canada, women are underrepresented in senior-level positions in both the public and private sectors, despite comprising more than 50 % of the population. The Covid-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted women, especially racialized, low-income and Indigenous women, exacerbating gender inequalities and outcomes. These include job losses, increases in gender-based violence and the growing burden of childcare and household chores as a result of school and work closures.
Increasing the number of women in leadership positions in the public and private sectors will help to advance gender equality and pave a new path for a new generation of young women to achieve their potential. How do we break down barriers to the advancement of women, particularly racialized and Indigenous women? How do we change the narrative to give today’s young women hope and provide pathways for their future participation in public life? What lessons can we learn from the impact and response to the Covid-19 pandemic to improve gender equality?
