Women’s Day Luncheon & Round-table Discussions – March 31, 2012

Intercultural Dialogue Institute (IDI) Toronto organized a luncheon with round-table discussions honouring the International Women’s Day.  Deborah Newman, Deputy Minister, Training Colleges & Universities gave a keynote speech right after the presentation by Gina Valle (www.ginavalle.com) regarding her “Legacies” Photo Exhibition.

VIDEO: KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY DEPUTY MINISTER DEBORAH NEWMAN

HIGHLIGHTS FROM WOMEN’S DAY LUNCHEON ROUND-TABLE DISCUSSIONS (CANADIAN CONTEXT)

Discussion Point 1. Greatest Achievements of Women

• Managed to succeed in both having families and careers (although there continues to be a number of barriers)
• Getting the right of vote.
• Having the right to divorce.
• Ability to choose birth control.
• Raising awareness of violence against women.
• Achieving the role of Governor General.
• Relatively good political presence (eg. Women Premiers, Ministers, Mayors, MP and MPPs).
• Changing the society making it easier for women to feel comfortable and to succeed everywhere (eg.: less tolerance for harassment).
• Being expected of finishing university-post secondary education in all fields.
• More choices in all aspect of our lives

Discussion Point 2. The most challenging issues faced by women in our current society

• Inequality (such as wages)
• Insufficient acknowledgement for contributions
• Helping women in other parts of the world
• establishing our as leader in certain sector
• Work-family balance: women expected to do it all.
• Traditional roles are being challenged; it depends on the family dynamics. Who works more? Who’s busy less? What iff wife earns more salary than husband?
• Less roles in top executive/leadership positions, although more present in the public voice.
• Continuing stereotypes of gender, sexuality

Discussion Point 3. Expectations for improvement regarding women’s issues in the next decade

• Increased profile of women in the corporate world.
• Increased equality (eg. equal pay for equal work).
• Decreased violence.
• More education of men and women on women’s issues.
• Increased support for women’s choices.
• National day care.
• Making the expectations equal.
• Continued removal of systematic barriers.
• More women on male dominated fields.
• More women helping / mentoring women
• More funding and education for immigrant women
• Better balancing of all our tasks and responsibilities
• Improving ourselves (women) in leadership roles

Special thanks go to our event sponsor Zaillan Corportation (www.zaillan.com).

PROGRAM