March 8th marked International Women’s Day, an important opportunity to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, girls, and gender diverse people across the globe. This year’s theme urged all of us to #BreaktheBias by promoting a gender-equal world where everyone can live free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.
To mark this occasion and continue the conversation, we asked the 2022-2023 ELN Executive Committee to reflect on what this day means to them and how emerging leaders can work together to advocate for gender equity throughout the year.
Q: This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is #BreaktheBias. What does that phrase mean to you as a rising leader in the GTHA?
“(It) means doing the internal work to break the bias no matter how you identify. Folks have grown up in a system that creates thought patterns that we need to unlearn to move forward.” – Anowa Quarcoo, ELN Co-Chair
“There are a lot of challenges we are facing in our communities coming out of the pandemic, however there are also opportunities to be realized. When I think of the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day, I think of the work that has been done to pave the way for workplace equality, inclusivity, and access to opportunity and the work that still needs to be done. Our communities are ever evolving and as such, we must also be prepared to continue learning and activating.” – Meryam Al-waadh, ELN Co-Chair
Q: How do you believe the pandemic has impacted our progress as it relates to gender equity?
“The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted women and increased the gender equity gap. While women make up 39% of the global workforce, they accounted for 54% of global job losses due to the pandemic (McKinsey, 2020). This is largely due to the fact that women were more likely to take on additional housework and other unpaid care responsibilities. In fact, 76% of working mothers cited childcare as one of their top three challenges worsened by COVID-19, while only 54% of working fathers said the same (McKinsey Women in the Workplace, 2020). These are challenges that I watched many of my colleagues who are working moms navigate over the last year.” – Katelyn Kozma, ELN Programming Lead
“The literature tells us the pandemic has caused significant disparity and has disproportionately impacted women over men. We also know that racialized and non-racialized women have been impacted significantly by the pandemic, whether it’s access to vaccines, loneliness, or the need to quit jobs to take care of their children. These are real issues, and our current social safety net does not fully protect women or support them in making progress within society. The pandemic has set us back on the journey to gender equity, and we need a mindful reset. It is not time to take our foot off the gas. We must all work harder to attain better outcomes.” – Aleem Punja, ELN Programming Lead
“Specifically for working mothers who have had to concurrently homeschool their children and work, gender equity has greatly been impacted. This has been a two-year span for many single-parent homes detrimental to their careers and well-being. The pandemic has forced many women to leave the workforce and provide childcare to their kids instead of working. The pandemic highlighted the reality that women are often expected to provide childcare and manage domestic duties.” – Sarah Baldeo, ELN Programming Lead
Q: How do you think we as rising leaders can champion gender equity beyond March?
“We have the privilege and ability to create pathways for other rising leaders. The CivicAction and ELN platform can be a vehicle to champion this work throughout the year, not just on March 8th. Being intentional and centering gender equity in our decision-making and initiatives is one simple way to promote change and amplify the voices of those who continue to be marginalized.” – Aleem Punja, ELN Programming Lead
“I think rising leaders should be given the space to share more of their experiences (both good and bad) in a safe and equitable forum. It’s hard to act if we don’t understand what the issues are from an intersectional lens. Gender equity can only truly be achieved if we actively listen to what the issues and challenges are. Only then can we activate leaders to develop solutions and create opportunities for our communities to work together to address these issues.” – Meryam Al-waadh, ELN Co-Chair
“Gender equity is still very much a problem. While there are more college and university educated women than men, women lose representation at every level in the corporate pipeline. Women remain underrepresented in leadership and c-suite roles. In fact, for every 100 men promoted to manager, 86 women were promoted (McKinsey Women in the Workplace 2021). This statistic is even more alarming for women of color. As rising leaders, I believe we all need to do our part in raising awareness surrounding gender inequalities that exist today. – Katelyn Kozma, ELN Programming Lead
What do you think needs to be done to #BreaktheBias? Tweet at us @elnonline to keep the conversation going.