Where women lose out
Vancouver Sun
May 14, 2009
By: Veronica Strong-Boag, Professor, women's studies and educational studies, University of B.C.

Why was Virginia Greene, the president of the Business Council of B.C., given a platform in your Tuesday election issue to address the province's women? Her evidence was demonstrably partial and her conclusions made no sense.

Old-style politicians such as Gordon Campbell have ensured that women would indeed, as she notes, make some 65 per cent to 70 per cent of male wages.

She was careful, however, not to point out this government's cuts to social services and its efforts to sidestep dignified supports for the elderly, the infirm and the homeless.

Why didn't she mention the loss of good jobs in the public sector, the failure to move meaningfully on daycare and the growing gap between rich and poor? B.C. has Canada's highest over-all poverty rate, its highest rate of child poverty and the highest rate of working poor.

For the news that our premier is no Santa Claus, Virginia should read Still Waiting for Justice - Update 2009: Provincial Politics and Gender Inequality….