Advertisement

Gender equality in Canada: Progress made, but work still needs to be done

One expert says Canada has made some progress on gender equality, but there's still a lot of work that needs to be done. Getty Images

Gender equality continues to be a topic of conversation in Canada.

This last year has seen some progress with the #MeToo movement and more women speaking up on gender inequality.

Paulette Senior, president and CEO of the Canadian Women’s Foundation, told the Alberta Morning News that Canada has made some progress, but there’s much more work that needs to be done.

“We’ve been inching towards equal pay for work of equal value, but we’re not seeing the gap really tighten that much,” Senior said. “But we’re moving forward a little bit. I think women are certainly impatient in terms of the ongoing, lingering gap.”

LISTEN BELOW: President & CEO of the Canadian Women’s Foundation Paulette Senior on gender equality in Canada

Story continues below advertisement

But are those fighting for gender equality wanting too many things at once, instead of focusing on one thing at a time?

Financial news and insights delivered to your email every Saturday.

It depends who you ask.

WATCH: Guillermo del Toro Says Gender Equality Is ‘A Need’

Click to play video: 'Guillermo del Toro Says Gender Equality Is ‘A Need’'
Guillermo del Toro Says Gender Equality Is ‘A Need’

For organizations like the Canadian Women’s Foundation who have been fighting this battle for years, Senior said, progress isn’t being made fast enough.

“They may think that we’ve been doing this work for so long. We certainly had to fight for the vote in Canada so many decades ago; we certainly had to fight for almost everything we’ve had.”

Story continues below advertisement

While the #MeToo movement has had plenty of momentum lately, she said, things like equal pay continue to make slow progress.

Part of the problem, Senior said, is systemic.

“We’ve all sort of been raised in a society where this is what we’ve been seeing, this is what we’re used to. Not just men in terms of how they see the world, but also women and so [we are] waking ourselves up to the reality of what things are.”

Sponsored content

AdChoices