The struggle for equality continues: Unions still in the forefront, on the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day.
Straight Goods
March 9, 2010
Public Service Alliance of Canada

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first international women's conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, which lead to the creation of International Women's Day. The day had been celebrated in many countries since the mid-1800s. But in 1910, women made the day a part of a worldwide movement. They haven't looked back since.

March 8 also represents the 40 year anniversary of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women — the first Canada-wide investigation into women's equality, which made recommendations that women are still fighting for today. Canadian women have seen many victories over the last four decades, including constitutional rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, paid maternity leave and laws that ensure equal pay for work of equal value. In addition, Canadian women played a significant role in ensuring that women's rights and gender equality are included in international agreements such as the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women.

But even though women have seen many improvements over the last 40 years, there is still much work to be done. Since the election of Stephen Harper's Conservative government in 2006, women have seen their rights rolled back or denied.

Harper recently hired Darrel Reid as his Deputy Chief of Staff. Reid is the former president of Focus on the Family Canada, an evangelical organization that campaigns against homosexuality, abortion, child care and divorce. So it's no coincidence that the Harper government has followed a blueprint designed by the extreme right-wing, undercutting years of labour union and feminist activism…..

Today's numbers say it all: 66 per cent of women with children under three work outside the home, while 75 per cent of women with children between the ages of three and five are part of the paid workforce. But outside of Quebec, less than 20 per cent of children have access to regulated child care spaces. This widening gap between the real need for child care and the lack of available services is due to the government's failure to invest in a national child care strategy. ...

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