In celebration of Women’s Equality Day, we asked three female change-makers in our community to share their opinions on some questions that we feel are relevant today. We are happy to share their inspiring stories and messages, and may their words echo to more people, encouraging them in turn to bring about positive change.
Fiona Bramble is the founder, president and editor of Here Magazine—a not-for-profit organization whose members are dedicated to helping newcomers transition into their adopted communities through media arts and responsive, in-place community programming and events.
Ruth Mojeed is the founder of The Inclusion Project—a network and resource hub for public and private organizations engaged in knowledge development and practice to support and further equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in Canada.
Hyeyoung Jeon is a registered social worker and works as a Settlement Worker for the BC Settlement and Integration Services Program at Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Center Society—a non-profit organization that helps immigrants, refugees, new Canadian citizens, and visible minorities settle and adapt into new lives in Greater Victoria.
Question 1. Which is more appropriate, Equality or Equity? What is Equality/Equity for you?
Fiona: The concept of equity is much more appropriate than equality. Equity recognizes we do not all start in the same place, and that the differences in our abilities and access to resources can act as barriers to inclusion and to successfully achieving one’s goals. Striving for an equitable society, to me, means that we are working at providing resources and support unique to each person’s needs to help facilitate their full inclusion in all aspects of society.
Ruth: By definition, equality presupposes a quality of sameness—of the same starting point, quantity or any similar measure. Equity is a measure of justice—of what is commensurate and also unique to differing circumstances, people or conditions. With justice as a starting point, equity becomes a great equalizer and a great precursor for real equality. This idea resonates better with me as meeting where they are, rather than the inherently exclusive notion of equality which does not always recognize the ramifications of people’s unique starting points.
Hyeyoung: Equality generally refers to equal opportunity and the same levels of support for all segments of society. Equality focuses on creating the same starting line for everyone. Equity goes a step further and refers offering varying levels of support depending upon need to achieve greater fairness of outcomes. Equity has the goal of providing everyone with the full range of opportunities and benefits— the same finish line. Equity is effective and balanced to provide the right services to the right person in the right communities as each person has unique needs based on their personal circumstances. For me, as a Settlement Worker, it’s important to have a balance between broad service delivery to a large client group and prioritizing more intensive and targeted service delivery to vulnerable persons. Focusing on equity means that we actively dedicated resources to ensure everyone can catch up and succeed at the same level, barrier free.
Question 2. What are your thoughts on the current situation for women globally?
Fiona: Girls and women around the world continue to be one of the most vulnerable populations. At best, in some societies, they continue to be denied education and other basic human rights; at worst, they are victims of systematic rape employed as a weapon of war. From my perspective, any incremental shifts—gains in protections or rights—in these realities are precarious and must constantly be established and re-established.
Ruth: The current global spate on gender and the increasing focus on the equality of women has taken a turn for the better, from the time when women had no right to vote or relegated to backrooms and bedrooms. There is however still much to be said for the unequivocal and unequal access to opportunities for women in different parts of the world. While women’s rights and “gender equality” find better expressions and fairer hearings in western cultures or the developed world, many cultures do not give as much attention to women’s needs and, in many cases, women’s cases are still subjugated to the judgement of men. Sadly, some such cultures find a staying place within ethnic and cultural enclaves in western cultures, often for religious reasons. Justice for one demands justice for all… all women… of all nations.
Hyeyoung: There are a number of ongoing conflicts currently happening in the world. Throughout history, women and girls have often been targeted in wartime for violence, especially sexual violence. One of dark history of human atrocities is “Comfort Women”. About 200,000 young women and girls as young as 11 were trafficked and forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army in occupied territories before and during WWII. Most of the women were Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Taiwanese, Burmese, Indonesian, Dutch and Australian. Many were killed or killed themselves. Those who survived and returned home did not share their stories of horror for decades. When Korean survivor Kim Hak-Sun first spoke out publicly six decades after World War II, in 1991, she opened the door for survivors all over Asia to start speaking up about their experiences. Their fight still continues. 1400th Wednesday demonstration to protest Japan’s sexual enslavement during the colonial occupation took place in Korea on August 14, 2019 making it the world’s longest-running protest to raise awareness of conflict-related sexual violence as threat to international peace and security and universal human rights. There is still no accurate estimate of the number of women and girls who were raped or suffered other forms of sexual violence during wartime all over the world.
Question 3. As a woman in Canada, do you feel that you are being treated fairly and equally? Why or why not?
Fiona: Personally, for the most part, yes. I still sit in meetings where men take up more vocal and physical space than their share, but I also see that as an opportunity for me, as a woman, to reclaim some of that space. However, I am a white woman in Canada and I see and work with other groups and individuals who are far more marginalized and vulnerable than I am, so, in some ways, for me, my concerns about being treated fairly and equally pale in significance.
Ruth: As a woman in Canada, my life has not been subjected to undue scrutiny nor have I personally been a victim of direct harassment based on my gender. I have, however, heard too many cases of women in male-dominated fields or sectors being treated less fairly than others. As a woman from Nigeria, I admit that it has been much easier navigating some of the nuances and expectations around gender but admittedly, it has not been as much of a smooth ride on the racial front. My biggest (and most gruesome) experience of unfair or unequal treatment has been mostly overt racism and I recognize this to not always be devoid of gender bias. There is no denying the intersections of race, gender and many factors that often make equity quite the long shot.
Hyeyoung: Canada is proud to be recognized as a world leader in advancing gender equality but there is still work to be done to improve the rights of women in Canada. As a Settlement Worker, I work directly with female immigrants and newcomers and see many of them stay home and look after children and support their families. Having children comes at a significant cost for a woman’s career while men do not typically experience any penalty for having children. According to statistics, women are working part-time in order to care for children and they face a significant wage gap between men and women.
Question 4. What are you doing to help change the unfavourable situation of women in Canada? (If you think there is).
Fiona: I do think that women living in an intersectional space—women of colour, Indigenous women, and trans women, for example—are faced with many significant challenges, including discrimination, in Canadian society. I am also listening carefully to the rhetoric emerging from self-identifying feminists and trans women, and believe that recognizing trans women as women will become a social justice challenge and critical personal/political journey for feminists. My personal and professional role in supporting women in Canada is to continue to amplify girls’ and women’s voices and experiences; to mentor and support the female leaders of tomorrow; and to “call in” boys, men, and non-binary individuals and encourage their allyship.
Ruth: I think there is a lot to be said for representation. Women need to be represented on corporate boards, in business, government or other leadership roles in the community. In STEM and other predominantly male sectors, extra effort needs to go into supporting girls and young women to find their place and step up like their male counterparts. Women need mentors in other women, and women need sponsors in other women—a dynamic that needs a shift in traditional power structures from men to women. Girls need to be able to see role models, mentors and sponsors in other women who have walked the path successfully, not just because of the opportunities that have been accorded them in the name of equality, but for just being women who are great at what they do. Gender equality should not be relegated to tokenism or unmerited access to opportunities but as equitable access to opportunities for all, regardless of gender, race or other such factors.
Hyeyoung: I have sent a letter to the BC Premier John Horgan to ask the Government of BC to reform the Affordable Child Care Benefit to extend eligibility to people in Canada with temporary immigration status. So Temporary Foreign Workers and International Students could access the benefit in order to help female newcomers entering and staying in the workforce.
Question 5. Do you think it is still important to promote women’s equality/equity in this day and age? Why or why not?
Fiona: Absolutely, particularly when one considers the dire situation for girls and women in some parts of the world, as well as the pay gap and other inequalities and imbalances which exist in the so-called developed world. However, precisely because the scale of inequity is so very different around the world, how one promotes and supports women’s equality/equity must be appropriate to each social and political environment.
Ruth: As with any marginalized or underrepresented groups, women’s needs need become more of a priority and should be promoted until we achieve the utmost for equity. As long as there are instances of rape, sexual harassment in the workplace, gender-based discrimination such as widening pay gaps, lack of childcare support, unpaid labour etc., there will also be a need to laud and promote women’s causes and provide adequate support. Men and women need to support women’s cause and vice-versa, without the implication of heroism on either part.
Hyeyoung: I believe that advancing gender equality contributes to a higher quality of life for everyone as gender equality has the power to create a more peaceful world. Involving women in the decision making process helps achieve long-term and sustainable peace.