It was a record night for women across Saskatchewan.
Following Saskatchewan’s provincial election on Oct. 28, more than 30 per cent of projected elected MLAs are women, marking the highest representation of women in the province’s political history.
Women and gender studies expert Rachel Loewen Walker at the University of Saskatchewan said while this is a huge milestone, we still have a long way to go overall.
“We need to have more women in politics,” she said. “Country-wide it is about 35 per cent at the provincial level and a bit lower at the federal level, and even lower still at municipal levels of representation.”
While election results are not yet official, 48 per cent of the Saskatchewan NDP’s projected winners are women and 24 per cent of the Sask. Party’s projected winners are women.
Newly elected Saskatoon Southeast MLA Brittney Senger said it’s crucial to have women at the decision-making table to address the issues that matter to women.
“Some of the main issues we’re hearing about in this provincial election, like education and health care, these are traditionally women’s issues. These are things that affect women in a very different way than they affect men,” Senger said.
Loewen Walker said it’s no coincidence we’re seeing increased attention to women’s issues at the same time we’re seeing more women entering politics.
“If we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu,” Loewen Walker said. “And that speaks directly to the value of having diverse representation around leadership tables.”
Despite some 100 years of women fighting for the right to vote and to hold office, Loewen Walker and Senger agree there are still roadblocks to change.
“Men are given the bias of potential,” Loewen Walker argues. “Men are thought of as ‘oh you have the potential to be great,’ whereas women are expected to have done it already in order to be recognized as having the ability to do so.”
It’s something Senger said she has seen a lot through her life.
“As a young woman, I often encountered people who made comments on my age,” Senger said. “I did have a lot of negative feedback on social media. It’s hard to put yourself out there. It’s hard for men as well, but I think it is very different for women.”