Gender Parity In Canadian Government

The first reason that shows that Canada has become a “just society” is the changes to women’s legal rights. Since the 1970s, many women have stepped up to the work of politics. Several instances include Kim Campbell, the first woman to become the prime minister of Canada,1 Kathleen Wynne, the first premier of Canada to be lesbian,2 Beverley McLachlin, the “first female chief of justice of the Supreme Court of Canada,”3 and Catherine Callbeck, the second female provincial premiere and first woman to win

Historically, gender differences have been at the core of social and economic injustice and women have faced fundamental disadvantages (Tepperman & Curtis, 2011, p. 351). Despite recent changes in formal equality – the introduction of protection for women in the Constitution Act, 1982 and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, for example - informal barriers are still present which lead to the discrimination of women (Tepperman & Curtis, 2011, p. 89). The Canadian education system has not been immune to the effects of discrimination towards women; in fact, some argue that schools have been a vessel for inequality (Knudson-Martin &

The gender wage gap is the difference in earnings between women and men in the workplace. It is a widely recognized indicator of women’s economic equality, and is measured by comparing annual earnings of women full-time, year round, to working men. Currently, the gender gap is at 28% in Canada. To be valued less than any man I have and will ever meet despite my education, drive, skills, or intelligence simply because I am a woman, is an issue that I will not let stand. I am committed to addressing the discrimination in wages and employment and the undervaluing of women and our work.

Canadian workplaces today seem to be a fairly diverse place, with a blend of many religions, ethnicities, and genders present. However, although people preach affirmative action and melting pots in current times, many inequality and power issues still abound. One strikingly noticeable example is gender discrimination. Women in the workforce face many challenges like smaller wages, harassment, male privilege in hiring or promotions, and lack of support when pregnant or raising children. One half of the planet is women, and it can be assumed the same for Canada, but they still face judgment at work because they lack the authority to dispute against big corporations or even their male supervisor. It cannot be argued that

Justin Trudeau is said to have revolutionized the structure of the Canadian Parliament this past November with his policy for a gender-balanced cabinet. For the first time in Canadian history, the Canadian Government sits with a 50% female, and a 50% male cabinet as a reflection of Canada’s diversity (Murphy). Yet what may have stunned citizens even more than the country’s step towards gender equality, was Prime Minister Trudeau’s explanation for the gender parity: “because it’s 2015” (Murphy). Despite it being the 21st century, a century that strives for gender equality in all areas of life, the political arena still “appears somewhat stuck in time” (The Canadian Press). That is to say, gender equality in the political sphere is far from

It has been a long and hard journey in Canada to attain gender equality between men and women. Today, most people are unaware of the discrimination in workplaces, schools, and everyday life. Due to the Famous Five who lead the Persons Case that stated women as official persons, and many heroic individuals who lead the Women’s Suffrage Movement, women now have more opportunities than ever before. The Canadian Labour Movement has helped improve many citizens’ careers including those of women, protecting them from discrimination, violence, and harassment at work. Saskatchewan feminism has followed a similar path to Canada concerning women’s rights, most often categorized into three influential periods of time. The gender pay gap is the difference of money that men and women make, that is a crucial example of gender inequality. Gender stereotypes have limited the ability of men and women, judging them with false ideas through the media. All of these have played a major part of women’s rights and gender equality today.

It goes without saying that throughout society there exists varying degrees of gender stratification. Although many have attempted to understand why this difference between the distribution of property, power and prestige exists amongst genders, the answer is still somewhat ambiguous. Although the United States isn’t a perfect example of equality amongst genders, compared to a majority of nations across the globe, its conditions for both genders are relatively similar. One country notorious for its massive discrepancy in terms of access to property, power and prestige between genders is Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia and a number of Middle Eastern countries, there exists a great deal of gender stratification. According to the 2008 Human Rights

Canada is identified for its sincere generosity that has presented its entire people the privileges to deliberate themselves in several methods. When relating to more unlucky nations, Canada has obtained the Canadian women the chance and freedom to select whichever profession of their choice. Yet, due to societal customs, women typically acknowledge conflicts, that are depressingly estimated upon by the society and are not clearly recognized into careers that are well thought out as men-orientated. Social customs existing in the Canadian culture, generated obstacles in the society of what professions are customary for women and what careers are recognized for men, which makes a key matter of woman acknowledgment in the political parties. Canada overpowers a succession of debatable subjects concerning femininity correspondence, which directed Canadian culture to improve their opinions. As civilization's interpretations rationalized, it carried numerous optimistic modifications concerning gender societal means through the years, such as the recognition of women to participate in the political parties.. Although, in Canadian politics, it is often seen the lack of contribution women make to the political community. Even though, women are as capable as men to participate in Canadian politics, women in Canadian politics are usually looked down upon due to the historical gender views within society, gender inequality that differentiates between the abilities of between both genders

Although Canada is an advanced country full of opportunities, it has yet to fight some of its largest issues. Women in Canada are still victims of gender inequality. Women have been facing a patriarchal stance in society for as long as they can remember, but it goes beyond just patriarchy. These women are living in conditions which could be viewed as inhumane. In 1991, The Canadian Women’s Foundation was formed and they took a stance enforcing women’s equality. Women face poverty, violence in various ways such as; physical, emotional, and financial, they are viewed nothing more than just sex objects used to sell products to the public, and women are discouraged from working at the same

Since universal suffrage, women have made tremendous economic and social progress in Canada. Canada has been called "a world leader in the promotion and protection of women's rights and gender equality," (Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada). Yet a hundred years after universal suffrage, gender disparity continues to exist in Canada. Gender disparity is evident in the political, economic, and social spheres. Political disparity refers to the lack of adequate representation of women in local, provincial, and federal politics, resulting in continued political disenfranchisement and a lack of attention being paid to remedying the situation. Economic disparity refers to unequal pay between men and women in the labor market, economic dependency of women, and differential degrees of wealth and poverty. Social disparity refers to gender bias, sexism, and other sociological factors. Although Canada continues to rank relatively high in terms of most measures of gender parity, the nation can and should do more to ensure political, economic, and social equality.

Statistics Canada shows that women make up of 50.4% (2010) of Canada’s collective population, however, only 25.3 % of those women are situated in the House of Commons (Women, 2015). Why would this be the case? Canadian women have suffered for a long time now regarding the concern that not only dictated history but has also harshly influenced today’s society, which is the social gap between men and women. It is arguable that this gap has prevented women from the ability to seek their highest potential due to the lack of recognition they would receive, mainly because of their gender. Women have been stigmatized in society as being inferior to men in many aspects of life, such as, “not being as intelligent or as strong as men” even if they are.

On November 4, 2015 the new Prime Minister of Canada, along with his new cabinet, was sworn into office by the Governor General. The day was marked by a heightened sense of hope and excitement across the country. However, more than being simply symbolic, November 4 was an opportunity for the new Prime Minister to show canadians his government is prepared to fulfill commitments made during the election campaign. Of many, the most notable of these commitments was to achieve gender parity in the cabinet. To the delight of many Canadians and, the world, Mr. Trudeau was able to deliver on his promise. As many praised the Prime Minister for his decision, an equal number (while not questioning the qualifications or merit of those woman appointed to power) were asking the question: “Is an affirmative action cabinet truly a meaningful (and effective) way to right the wrongs of the past and recognize the importance and significance of women in Canadian society?” Those who ask questions similar to the one above share the common view that the way in which Mr. Trudeau has decided to approach the barriers women face in society is not progressive, rather, is demeaning, sexist and ends up implying exactly what the core of gender discrimination is in the first place; the notion that one sex is superior to the other.

Almost a year ago, Canada was premised on a conservative government that centered on protecting and upholding traditional laws and values. Now, we are transitioning from conservatism to liberalism. The Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, stresses the need for equality, specifically gender equality that is a key element of liberalism. Gender equality advocates for same sex marriage, anti-discrimination laws as well empowering marginalized groups including the Indigenous people and women. Women in particular, have been in a disadvantaged position even before laws were made. Society has deemed women unequal to men, thereby excluding them from participating in important matters such as running for public office, legislating laws or even as simple as having an opinion. Conservatism solidified the patriarchal society, thus rendering women incompetent and irrelevant. However, with the change in administration comes the change in ideology. Unlike conservatism, liberalism welcomes and accepts change. A key platform of liberalism is women’s empowerment and this has been established through the creation of SlutWalk. SlutWalk is a protest movement that emerged in Toronto, Canada following the remark of police officer, Constable Michael Sanguinetti. In January 2011, Constable Sanguinetti made the statement that “Women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized” (Toronto Star, 2011). His tactless remarks earned national and international outrage, from

Today, Canada is known around the world as a cultural mosaic. As a nation it welcomes people of both sexes with all different beliefs, cultures, and religions. Creating a mature nation would require promoting equality of opportunity to all and giving help to those who were disadvantaged. However, Canada has not always been a welcoming and mature nation. In the past, women were not allowed to vote alongside men or run for political positions, due to the fact that they were not considered “persons”. As well, Aboriginal children were stipped from their homes, families, and identities so that they could assimilate all First Nations people. During the last century, women have gained more political rights, gained more respect from society, and

In addition to the gap in political involvement there are numerous evident inequalities for Canadian women that stress the need to continue the feminist movement. The Canadian human rights