Women in Canadian politics: Challenges that continue to matter for all Canadian women voices
The recent 2015 elections set record highs for Canadian women politicians. The 2015 federal election beat the record for the most female candidates in a single election, and the Alberta 2015 general election resulted in the closest a governing party has ever come to obtaining gender parity with 25 women and 28 men elected as members of the ruling NDP (Women in Canadian politics, 2018). Alberta’s Premier, Rachel Notley, has appointed a cabinet with equal representation from women and male politicians, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also has appointed a fully gender balanced Cabinet, and women make up 47.5% of the appointed Senate (Women, 2018). However, …show more content…
Prime Minister: Gender, media and leadership (Trimble, 2017), along with a recent news article by Andrea Huncar highlights the fact that challenges continue to exist for women in politics. These challenges include women in politics are still underrepresented, are subject to sexist media portrayals, and are victims of sexist attacks and sexual harassment. The representation of women in politics reflects the value our society places on the status of women (Trimble & Arscott, 2003) and as long as women in politics face these challenges, challenges restricting women’s voices will continue to exist for all women in Canada. Women in Canadian politics face the challenge of being underrepresented at all levels of government and in leadership positions. Trimble & Arscott (2003) argue that if no gender bias existed in our society it would be expected that women would hold equivalent numbers of positions in public office. They also contend that in the next 15 years, the Canadian public is unlikely to see changes needed to bring about gender parity. Their article is now 15 years old …show more content…
Although Premier Rachel Notley made headlines for her gender-parity cabinet, she also made headlines about sexist online threats made towards her (Huncar, 2015). While Notley’s policies may not have been popular province-wide, the language of the threats focused primarily on her gender. Gender consultant Cristina Stasia recognized, “they’re not calling her an idiot, they’re calling her the c-word, they’re not saying she’s too progressive, they’re calling her a bitch” (Huncar, 2015, par. 11). These gendered insults are a way of silencing and undermining the power of women (Huncar, 2015). Sexist attitudes towards women can also create an atmosphere that condones behaviors such as sexual harassment. The Federal government has recently introduced Bill c65 to address verbal and sexual harassment that occurs on Parliament Hill (Connolly, 2018). It can be difficult for young female staffers to report sexual harassment claims because of the political culture that exists which includes a culture of secrecy, of towing the party line, and of worrying about ruining chances of a political career (Mcintyre & Campbell, 2018). The challenge of women being sexually harassed is not isolated at Parliament Hill; however, unless a federal government workplace can be a place where sexism and sexual harassment is reported and voiced, there is little hope
The recent 2015 elections set record highs for Canadian women politicians. The 2015 federal election beat the record for the most female candidates in a single election, and the Alberta 2015 general election resulted in the closest a governing party has ever come to obtaining gender parity with 25 women and 28 men elected as members of the ruling NDP (Women in Canadian politics, 2018). Alberta’s Premier, Rachel Notley, has appointed a cabinet with equal representation from women and male politicians, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also has appointed a fully gender balanced Cabinet, and women make up 47.5% of the appointed Senate (Women, 2018). However, …show more content…
Prime Minister: Gender, media and leadership (Trimble, 2017), along with a recent news article by Andrea Huncar highlights the fact that challenges continue to exist for women in politics. These challenges include women in politics are still underrepresented, are subject to sexist media portrayals, and are victims of sexist attacks and sexual harassment. The representation of women in politics reflects the value our society places on the status of women (Trimble & Arscott, 2003) and as long as women in politics face these challenges, challenges restricting women’s voices will continue to exist for all women in Canada. Women in Canadian politics face the challenge of being underrepresented at all levels of government and in leadership positions. Trimble & Arscott (2003) argue that if no gender bias existed in our society it would be expected that women would hold equivalent numbers of positions in public office. They also contend that in the next 15 years, the Canadian public is unlikely to see changes needed to bring about gender parity. Their article is now 15 years old …show more content…
Although Premier Rachel Notley made headlines for her gender-parity cabinet, she also made headlines about sexist online threats made towards her (Huncar, 2015). While Notley’s policies may not have been popular province-wide, the language of the threats focused primarily on her gender. Gender consultant Cristina Stasia recognized, “they’re not calling her an idiot, they’re calling her the c-word, they’re not saying she’s too progressive, they’re calling her a bitch” (Huncar, 2015, par. 11). These gendered insults are a way of silencing and undermining the power of women (Huncar, 2015). Sexist attitudes towards women can also create an atmosphere that condones behaviors such as sexual harassment. The Federal government has recently introduced Bill c65 to address verbal and sexual harassment that occurs on Parliament Hill (Connolly, 2018). It can be difficult for young female staffers to report sexual harassment claims because of the political culture that exists which includes a culture of secrecy, of towing the party line, and of worrying about ruining chances of a political career (Mcintyre & Campbell, 2018). The challenge of women being sexually harassed is not isolated at Parliament Hill; however, unless a federal government workplace can be a place where sexism and sexual harassment is reported and voiced, there is little hope