Advocacy
Advancing the Leadership of Women and Girls
Gender equality is still far over the horizon, and the resistance is absolutely stunning.
Advancing women’s leadership extends beyond gaining access to the top. Still, Canada has a long road to walk to achieve gender equality in power spheres like politics and big business. Corporate leadership remained massively gender imbalanced at the end of 2010, with men accounting for almost 94% of heads at Canada’s largest 500 corporations and occupying 86% of board positions. After almost a century of women voting, only 25% of MPs were women after the 2011 election - a gaping democratic gender deficit. But, leadership is not only about climbing power structures. Advancing women’s leadership requires strengthening the skills of women who are working to overcome violence, poverty and discrimination in their own lives. It means valuing women as experts on the issues that impact them and empowering women and girls to advocate for change. For YWCA Canada, young women and girls are leaders today, tomorrow and in the future.
Women in Political Leadership
Women should enter politics to bring about change. It’s a tough arena, and an unpleasant one. The sacrifices called for can only be justified on the grounds that we are indeed making the world, or our community, a better place than it is. Rosemary Brown
The United Nations advocates for a minimum of 30% representation as a critical threshold for decision-making positions held by women at the national level, which has not been reached in Canada. After the 2011 election, Canada ranked 38th in the world in women’s representation in parliament. For 99.75% of our history, men have occupied the position of prime minister. YWCA Canada, working with Member Associations like YWCA Edmonton, YWCA Kitchener-Waterloo, YWCA Cambridge, YWCA Muskoka and YWCA Hamilton, and partners like Equal Voice, is committed to Canada attaining at least 30% women in federal representation in the next election, and recommends all political parties ensure at least 50% of electoral candidates are women.
Strengthening women’s leadership skills
Across Canada, our Member Associations support women who use their programs to develop leadership skills and advocate for increased public awareness and policy changes that will improve the lives of women in similar circumstances. Through YWCA Canada’s Life Beyond Shelter project, violence survivor advocates have taken their concerns to MPs on Parliament Hill and shared their knowledge internationally during the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. Their effective leadership from experience is on view in the Living Beyond Shelter videos.
Young Women’s Leadership and Empowerment
YWCA Canada maintains a 25% board and staff presence of young women – under age 30 when they start – following a policy established by the World YWCA movement to engage and develop young women as leaders. Our GirlSpace and Power of Being a Girl programs support girls and teens to build leadership skills and self-esteem.
