Canada’s new year’s resolutions must focus on gender justice

In so many senses, 2020 was a year of testing. The position of women in Canada and our national progress toward the goal of gender equality over three decades was tested and found terribly wanting. Can progress so swiftly reversed in crisis be progress to count on? As we move into a new year that might be even more trying, it’s clear that the promise of a vaccine to eradicate the virus will not inoculate against these inequities. It won’t improve the status of women and gender-diverse people. It won’t erase the ways that racialized women, low-income women, women with disabilities, and other marginalized women are constantly put in harm’s way. That’s why setting our sights on economic, political, and social restoration isn’t enough. This year, our national resolutions need to focus on gender justice. This means targeted action to uphold the rights of all women and gender-diverse people—making them lived and real and felt. When they do well, we all do well. This is the post-pandemic revitalization Canada needs. Here are three national resolutions to get us started. Resolution No. 1: end gender-based violence The pandemic has ruthlessly uncovered the seriousness of gender-based violence in this country. And the risks of violence are only increasing. Abusers are in closer proximity to those they harm and can exert more control than ever in the pandemic, often behind closed doors. Women’s Shelters Canada found that 52 per cent of the shelters they surveyed reported seeing more severe violence in the pandemic. Statistics Canada reported a bump in domestic disturbance police calls. And these are only the reported cases. We have to invest heavily in long-term, community-based solutions to prevent and intervene in situations of gender-based violence. We must help people escape it while we do the social change work to make violence unacceptable in a broader way. Resolution No. 2: ensure economic security Women are in a tenuous financial position. They are being pushed out of the workforce at historic rates, especially racialized women and those in precarious work. The pay gap persists, and has always been worse for Indigenous women, Black women, newcomer women, and women with disabilities. The burden of unpaid child and elder care work, already disproportionately falling to women, has only grown. A fuller answer to gender-based financial insecurity is more complicated. We need pay equity, support for those unable to work, better education and work opportunities, and equitable, safe workplaces. Photograph courtesy of Unsplash Our heavy reliance on women-majority workforces puts them in a place of vulnerability to the virus, especially migrant workers who are Black and racialized and are often paid less. Accessible, affordable childcare so women can participate in the paid labour market is one solution. But a fuller answer to gender-based financial insecurity is more complicated. We need pay equity, support for those unable to work, better education and work opportunities, and equitable, safe workplaces. We need to remake our economy to uphold the dignity and rights of those carrying out this burden of care work. Resolution No. 3: end systemic racism Systemic racism in Canadian institutions is baked into our colonial history. The most recent calls to action are not the start of a new conversation, but the continuation of one that is inspiring renewed conviction. Black and Indigenous women, girls and Two Spirit, trans, and non-binary people are in a unique bind. Anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism puts them at high risk in so many ways. Their health, safety, security, and opportunities are hindered. For Black and Indigenous mothers and caregivers, it means they carry a greater weight of anxiety, grief, and care work—work to confront racism, and to support and protect their community. For Black and Indigenous girls and young people, it means they are too often unsupported in schools and public spaces, and actively criminalized. Gender justice will never be achieved without an end to widespread systemic racism. Canada can start to tackle it with anti-racist and decolonizing policies, allocating funding to traditionally under-funded communities, creating the conditions and incentives for fairer workplaces, and addressing discriminatory practices in schools. And we need decision-makers who reflect the diversity of Canada and lead from an anti-racism stance, especially at a time of growing white supremacist action. Meaningful action on gender justice is possible, but only with resolved, bold commitment. We need to push for these policy changes in 2021 so that the next time our progress is tested, it holds. Anuradha Dugal is the senior director of community initiatives and policy at the Canadian Women’s Foundation. She has served various roles for more than a decade at the Foundation, having previously been the director of Violence Prevention Programs and, before that, a board member and chair of the Violence Prevention Committee. Anuradha also sits on Minister Monsef's Advisory Council on Gender-based Violence and is a member of the Conseil des Montrealaises. The Hill Times