Labour Views
with Heidi-Ann Wild
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
The theme for this year's International Women's Day, "Shaping Progress," gives us a lot to reflect on.
Women have come a long ways in gaining rights in our society, and we have fought hard for those gains. Some 15,000 women marched the streets of New York in 1908, demanding the right to vote and lobbying for better working conditions, leading to the first National Women's Day the following year.
The momentum for establishing an International Women's Day grew in many countries as women across the globe rallied for peace, justice, and equal rights. Women were considered 'persons' under Canadian law in 1929, but it wasn't until the 1960s that all women won the right to vote in Canada despite race, ethnicity or religion. Many women have made notable advances in the North, including strong women leaders.
Lena Pederson was the first woman elected to the Northwest Territories legislative assembly in 1970. Nellie J. Cournoyea was the first aboriginal government leader, being elected in the Northwest Territories legislature in 1979. She held her position as premier from 1991 to 1995. Ethel Blondin-Andrew was the first aboriginal woman to serve as a Member of Parliament and member of the federal Cabinet. These are milestones for women's achievements in the NWT, and are accompanied by the countless achievements and contributions that women continue to make to the North.
International Women's Day is a time to celebrate the contributions of women and the advances women have made in our society, but also to assess the work that still needs to be done.
Women's advances towards equality in our society are met with an equal force of backlash that prevent the achievement of any real balance of power. Women are still inadequately represented in leadership, experience multiple barriers in the workforce, and are still unsafe on the streets at night. Many organizations that support and advocate for women's rights have had to close their doors due to lack of funding.
Women's shelters across the country are chronically under-resourced and affordable childcare is still not a reality. One of our own major women's shelters in the NWT is on the brink of having to close its doors due insufficient funding. These resources are critical for women's support, and they are disintegrating. This says a lot about what we value, and the challenges ahead.
Despite the work to advance women's equality within our country's boundaries, International Women's Day leads us to think globally. On this day, women across the world who are often separated by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic, and political differences are united to celebrate unique strengths and shared visions.
We are reminded that our goal of achieving human rights must extend beyond our borders to other parts of the world, where women and girls may be denied education, access to safe working conditions, or the right to vote. We will not achieve equality until all women can enjoy the rights, freedoms and dignity currently only enjoyed by a privileged few.
- Heidi-Ann Wild is a member of the Public Service Alliance of Canada's (PSAC) Regional Women's Committee in Yellowknife