International Women’s Day 2021

March 8, 2021

Each year on March 8 we observe International Women’s Day. It is a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. It is also a day to recognize and reflect on the current struggles and inequities they still face.

The theme for International Women’s Day 2021 is “Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a post COVD-19 world.”

As a prelude to International Women’s Day, in accordance with this year’s theme, the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission hosted an online Courageous Conversation titled “Representative Equity: Women in Politics.”

The event featured Regina Mayor, Sandra Masters; former Canadian Senator, Dr. Lillian Dyck; Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools Board Chair, Diane Boyko; former Saskatoon West Member of Parliament, Sheri Benson; Saskatoon City Councillor, Bev Dubois; political research scientist, Erin Pillipow; and CBC’s Leisha Grebinski as the emcee.

The panelists shared their insights and political experiences in hopes of inspiring others to become engaged in the political process.

While the percentage of female candidates and the number of women being elected has increased over the last 20 years, on both a federal and provincial level we remain below the United Nations’ recommendation of having at least 30% as the critical threshold for women in decision-making roles.

In Canada:

• Women represent 50.4% of Canada’s population.
• Women occupy 29.5% of seats in the House of Commons.

In Saskatchewan:

• Women constitute 50.5% of Saskatchewan’s population.
• Currently, there are 17 female MLAs out of 61 (28%) in Saskatchewan.

 

Representative Equity: Women in Politics