Advocacy for change

June 17, 2018June 18, 2018 Deb Weston Advocacy for change, Advocacy for public education, Learning in a Real Life Context, LGBTQ2S, Making a Difference Through Education, Mental Health

What’s up with Ontario’s Health Curriculum?

What’s up with Ontario’s Health Curriculum? … 10% is what’s up!

It’s June 2018 and the newly elected Ontario Conservative government is planning to pull the most recently updated 2015 Health and Physical Education Curriculum. I interpret this statement as meaning that Ontario’s Ministry of Education will use the previous Health and Physical Education Curriculum which was released in 1998.

Up to this point, the Health and Physical Education Curriculum had not been updated since 1998 and in 2010 a revised Health and Physical Education Curriculum was in the works of being released. The addition of same-sex relationships in the specific Health Curriculum resulted in significant political backlash. The release of the revised 2010 Health and Physical Education Curriculum was dropped by the former premier, Dalton McGuinty, within hours after his education minister defended it in the legislature (CBC News, April 18^th, 2018).

Up to 2015, the last Health and Physical Education Curriculum was 17 years old. With the impact of social media and an increased access to the Internet, students needed an updated curriculum that included information on online safety, healthy relationships, consent, mental health, and the risks of “sexting”. As an 11-year middle school teacher, I experienced schools already dealing with challenges around these issues. Ontario teachers needed tools to educate students to deal appropriately with the realities of school after 2000.

The 2015 Health and Physical Education Curriculum, reflects health, safety, and well-being faced in schools now. It was developed in consultation with the ministry, parents, students, teachers, faculties of education, university, colleges, and other organizations such as the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, The Ontario Public Health Association, and the Healthy Schools Coalition. Further, more than 70 health-related organizations submitted reports for consideration and thousands of people provided feedback (Government of Ontario, February 23, 2015, Updated Health & Physical Education Curriculum). In 2014, more than 4000 parents were involved in the consultation process of the Health and Physical Education Curriculum (CBC News, April 18, 2018).

The now 20 year old Health and Physical Education Curriculum not only had to be updated to deal with the realities of the social media and instant access to information, it also addressed the changing realities of human development. The World Health Organization indicated that “girls are entering puberty as early as seven years old, which is significantly earlier than in previous generations” and “found that providing kids with comprehensive sexual health information helps prevent early sexual activity and negative health outcomes”. In addition, research documented that the majority of parents wanted schools to provide information on sexuality (Government of Ontario, April 2015, Updated Health & Physical Education Curriculum)

What’s in the Health and Physical Education Curriculum?

The 2015 Health and Physical Education curriculum has four main sections for each grade (Students also learn about mental health across the curriculum):

Living Skills: understanding themselves, communicating and interacting positively with others and learning to think critically and solve problems
Active Living: active participation, physical fitness and safety
Movement Competence: skills for moving properly and with confidence
Healthy Living: learning about health, making healthy choices, and understanding the connections to everyday life

Source: https://www.ontario.ca/page/sex-education-ontario

Based on my experience as a teacher, parents usually have few concerns about Living Skills, Active Living, and Movement Competence sections of the Health and and Physical Education curriculum. The Healthy Living section includes topics about food, safety at home, school and in the community, alcohol and other substances, and a section on Human Development and Sexual Health. Some parents are specifically concerned with health education dealing with sexual activity and health. Note that the sexual health curriculum makes up only 10 per cent of the Health curriculum (Basian cited in CBC News, Apr 18, 2018).

Sexual Health Education By Grade

Even today, there continues to be many rumours spread about the Health curriculum. A few weeks ago a parent asked me if the grade 1 students were going to see videos about how to have sex. In May 2015, the Toronto Star Reporter, Robin Levin King, dealt with some of these uninformed claims (copied verbatim from May 2015, Robin Levin King, Toronto Star Reporter):

Uninformed Claims about the Ontario Health Curriculum

The chart below shows what students will learn in the Healthy Living portion of their Health and Physical Education classes. The Human Development and Sexual Health (i.e. sex ed.) component of the Health and Physical Education curriculum guides teachers to plan what they teach with the goal of establishing a foundation of mutual respect, and understanding for diverse perspectives in the classroom. This curriculum is not meant to ever replace the role of parents in educating their children about sexual health.

Chart of Human and Sexual Health by grade

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The Human Rights of Gender Equity and Gender Expression

Upholding human rights in Ontario is a fundamental principal of Ontario’s society and culture. In 2012, “gender identity” and “gender expression” were added to the Ontario Human Rights Code. Based on gender equity and gender expression, this made the discrimination and harassment of these persons against the law. This meant that all people should be treated with dignity and respect and have the same opportunities and benefits which includes persons who identify as “transgender, transsexual and intersex persons, cross-dressers, and other people whose gender identity or expression is, or is seen to be, different from their birth sex” (Government of Ontario, 2018, Gender Equity and Gender Expression).

Given that discrimination and harassment of people who identify as LGBTQ2S – Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Queer, and/or Two Spirited (i.e. gender identity or gender expression) is against the law, students need to know what these terms mean. Further, students need to know how to deal with harassment that is happening to them or others. These topics are part of the Ontario Health and Physical Education Curriculum and originate from the Ontario Human Rights Code. Eliminating these topics could result in fewer people being informed of gender based human rights and increased violations of these laws. The Ontario Human Rights Code was revised based on public consultation. To fully implement the new Code, significant legal decisions and policy changes were released in 2014. The Ontario Human Rights Code must be upheld in education curricula and in all Ontario schools.

Relevant Resources and Policies are listed below:

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Gender Identify within the Ontario Health and Physical Education Curriculum

(Source: Health and Physical Education Curriculum Grades 1 to 8, 2015)

When teachers are planning instruction and considering class groupings, they should be aware of and consider the needs of students who may not identify as “male” or “female”, who are transgender, or who are “gender-non-conforming”.

For more information about gender identity, gender expression, and human rights, see the website of the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

Understanding Ontario’s Education Equity Action Plan: Parent Fact Sheet

Teachers should also acknowledge and respect individual differences regardless of sex or gender identity that will encourage student participation and help students learn to collaborate with and respect others. Strategies for encouraging understanding and mutual respect among students include:

creating an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere in the class and supporting all students to be active participants;
fostering authentic opportunities for students to provide input into learning activities and approaches;
providing opportunities for all students to assume leadership roles;
encouraging and respecting the interests and abilities of all students;
ensuring that responsibilities are shared equally by all students.

Breakdown of Gender References in Health and Physical Education Curriculum

In 2018, Ontario and the world is a very different place dealing with a plethora of social and economic issues. Education curriculum needs to be updated on a regular basis to reflect society and its issues. Ontario cannot go back twenty years in any curriculum, especially in the Health and Physical Education Curriculum. So that means Ontario’s education curriculum can only move forward.

It took over 16 years to update and implement the last Health and Physical Education curriculum. Updating and revising curriculum takes a lot of people hours and multi-level consultation – this means it also costs lots money to make changes. Simply using a black marker to redact all the controversial parts isn’t going to cut it! My guess is that four years (i.e. a political government rein) is not enough time for the Health and Physical Education Curriculum to be updated.

And for my good friend and colleague @FAPareja, here’s the curriculum download of all Ontario teachers to access:

Health and Physical Education Curriculum Grades 1 to 8, 2015

Collaboratively Yours,

Deb Weston

References

CBC News, (April 18, 2018). The facts about Ontario’s sex ed curriculum, Downloaded from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ontario-sexual-education-curriculum-election-1.4624512

Government of Ontario, (2018). Gender Equity and Gender Expression) http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/code_grounds/gender_identity

Goverment of Ontario, (2018). Ontario Human Rights Code. Downloaded from Ontario Human Rights Commission at www.ohrc.on.ca/en/code_grounds/gender_identity.

Government of Ontario, (2015). Health and Physical Education Curriculum, Grades 1 to 8 Downloaded from www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/health1to8.pdf

Government of Ontario, (February 23, 2015). News Release Ontario Releases Updated Health & Physical Education Curriculum, Parent Resources: Promoting the Health and Well-Being of Students Downloaded from https://news.ontario.ca/edu/en/2015/02/ontario-releases-updated-health-physical-education-curriculum-parent-resources.html

Government of Ontario, (April 2015). Ontario Releases Updated Health & Physical Education Curriculum, Parent Resources, Downloaded from https://news.ontario.ca/edu/en/2015/02/ontario-releases-updated-health-physical-education-curriculum-parent-resources.html

King, R. L., (May 4, 2015). Toronto Star, Downloaded from https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/05/04/fact-checking-10-claims-made-by-parents-against-the-ontario-sex-ed-curriculum.htmlhighlights

June 3, 2018April 8, 2019 Deb Weston Advocacy for change, Advocacy for public education, agency, Building Inclusion, Making a Difference Through Education, Why unions matter

Why Ontario Teachers Need to be Political

According to The Washington Post’s Valarie Strauss “Teachers are often expected to remain politically neutral in class, not letting their students know which candidate they support or where they stand on controversial issues” (Strauss, 2016).

Parents may anticipate that teachers could “indoctrinate” students by expressing their own views in classrooms (Strauss, 2016) and as a result, so many teachers are tentative to discuss their political views.

Given that “teachers teach who they are” (Susan Drake, n.d.), it’s hard for teachers to be neutral in their passions for education and especially for the inclusion and equity of students.

I state that the act of teaching is a political act as classrooms hold future citizens and what teachers say and do matters.

Teachers teach children to become creative, collaborative communicators, critical thinkers, problem solvers, and global citizens. Teachers help their students become good citizens or as Dewey stated the “organization of the school, as it affects the mind of both teacher and pupil, [is a] growth and extension of the democratic principle in life beyond school doors” (Dewey, 1903).

The act of advocating for democracy and human rights in schools is a political action – so should teachers be political? Former state and national U.S. Teachers of the Year wrote in an open letter “there are times when a moral imperative outweighs traditional social norms. There are times when silence is the voice of complicity” (cited in Strauss, 2016).

As teachers, we regularly espouse ideas of supporting human rights, through equity and inclusion. In the act of teaching, we are the political messengers of these ideas. Teachers are role models for students as we set the example through what we say and do. Our students watch our every move in our words and our actions. Teachers’ words and actions matter.

In Ontario politics, teachers’ voices matter and our representation and advocacy through our unions matter. Through the Ontario Teachers’ Federation, teachers represent almost 200,000 voices in Ontario. Teachers’ votes matter!

Results of Ontario political outcomes directly impact education funding for schools, staff, and students. In 1994, the election of Mike Harris cut billions of dollars from education (Martin, 2009). By the time I became a teacher in 2000, classrooms were void of resources – teachers ended up filling this gap directly with money out of their pockets. Teacher salaries are also directly regulated by provincial governments. Politics impacts teachers’ net income.

Teachers have built their advocacy for public education through their boards of education and their agency through their unions.

Should teachers talk about which political party they will vote for on this 2018 Provincial Election Day? Probably not, but teachers can just be who they are … advocates for public education, advocates for human rights, and advocates for the inclusion and equity of all students.

Above all, teachers can be advocates for democracy. The most impactful act a citizen can do to support democracy is to vote.

Teach who you are, be who you are. Vote.

Yours Collaboratively

Deb Weston

References

Dewey, J., (1903). Democracy in education. The elementary school teacher, 4(4), 193-204.

Drake, S., (n.d.) Professor (PhD), Department of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies in Education, Brock University, https://brocku.ca/education/faculty-and-staff/dr-susan-drake/

Martin, R., (October 20, 2009). What happened to Canada’s education advantage? The Toronto Star, Downloaded from https://www.thestar.com/opinion/2009/10/20/what_happened_to_canadas_education_advantage.html

Strauss, V., (October 14, 2016). Teachers are expected to remain politically neutral. These Teachers of the Year say they can’t., The Washington Post, Downloaded from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2016/10/14/teachers-are-expected-to-remain-politically-neutral-these-teachers-of-the-year-say-they-cant/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4ab93d6a23ed

May 30, 2018May 31, 2018 Will Gourley Advocacy for change, Challenging Topics, General, Special Education

Decline(d)

https://pixabay.com/en/fracture-bone-xray-skeleton-2333164/ by Taokinesis

Have you ever heard of a child breaking a limb only to have medical treatment declined by their parents/guardians because they didn’t want anyone to know the extent of the injuries? Of course not. There’d be a rush to the hospital and a cast applied within hours.

I’ve rarely, if ever, known of anyone to refuse medical care for their child. Religious choices aside, it is impossible to think of a time when medical treatment should ever be withheld or denied. In fact, child services might be called in to ensure an injured child is receiving proper care – if it ever was the case. We have seen this occasionally played out in the court system.

Yet, in our schools a parallel situation is happening year after year. Students are identified with academic or psychological needs which affect their education, emotional well being, and long term mental health only to have offers of support declined, ignored, or attacked.

Optional Support

Is there a stigma in the minds of some about an educational identification that is at the root of learners not getting the support that they need? Does access to Special Education support and resources fall into the optional only category at the peril and loss of our students? I wonder how education at all levels can change the perceptions around identifying students, their needs, and the importance that education plays in supporting them? Have you encountered this? I have.

Many who serve as SERTs/admin have worked alongside school staff to identify students at risk and proposed solid plans of action to help, only to have them abruptly halted/refused without consideration of the detriment it will have on the child. Thus leaving another learner unidentified and under-supported. How can we let students slip through the cracks based on the belief that they should be able to grow out of it or that there identification is perceived as a social shame or dirty secret? Why do people take exception to receiving support for exceptionalities?

A number of recent conversations with colleagues have all seemed to reflect on how some of our students still struggle. A common thread here being a reluctance to formally identify any academic or behavioural issues. To me it feels like put a bandaid on a compound fracture. As long as it’s kept covered up, it doesn’t exist despite the discomfort, quite convinced that it will get better on its own.

After 9 months of growth plans, ISTs, academic testing, IEPs, IPRCS, and countless meetings; many are working feverishly to support at risk learners for a successful start in September. Is there something else we can do? Are there any magic words that can convice a family that we are working hard to help their child succeed? I wonder how we can collectively share, support, and encourage one another in our practice and through professional conversations that will continue fighting for our students. If you have any stories and successful strategies to share please share them in the comments section below. Wishing you all of the best of life’s breaks.

March 13, 2018January 5, 2020 Deb Weston Advocacy for change, Building Inclusion, Diverse Learning Needs, Equity, Special Education

Why It’s Time to End Publicly Funded Catholic Schools

What is the purpose of publicly funded schools?

According to the publication, Good Governance: A Guide for Trustees, School Boards, Directors of Education and Communities, the purpose of publicly funded Ontario schools is to “provide universally accessible education for all students, regardless of their ethnic, racial, or cultural backgrounds; social or economic status; gender; individual exceptionality; or religious preference.”

Further to this, Good Governance goes on to state that “English and French public systems are founded on the principle of equality of educational opportunity: every student deserves an opportunity to achieve to his or her fullest potential.”

How many school districts are publicly funded?

The Education Act provides for the establishment of four types of district school board systems in Ontario. Even though all schools districts do not have the “public” label, all four district school board systems are publicly funded.

According to Ontario Government in 2015-2015 (same numbers as 2013-2014) school board data:

48% Public School Boards (for 69 % of Ontario’s population)

31 English Public School Boards
4 French Public School Boards)

52% Catholic School Boards (for 31% of Ontario’s population)

29 English Catholic School Boards
8 French Catholic School Boards

According to the Statistics Canada 2011 Ontario data, Roman Catholics represented 3,948,975 out of 12,651,790 people or 31.2% of Ontario’s population (down from 34.3% Roman Catholic in 2001) with 69% of Ontario’s population identifying as non-Roman Catholic. This is evidence that students who identify as non-Roman Catholics attend publicly funded Catholic schools. According to Kelly Gallagher-Mackay, Toronto Star reporter, 8% of students attending Catholic schools are not Catholic.

Why does Ontario have so many school boards?

In 1867, the British North America Act (BNA) constituted funding for French and English schools as well as Protestant and Roman Catholic schools up to grade 10. In 1867, the majority of Upper Canada’s (now Ontario) population were Anglo-Protestant. The BNA mandated standardization and public funding for education. As Ontario’s populations grew, Protestant schools became more secular. Sometime in the mid 1970’s, as a student, I no longer had to repeat the Lord’s Prayer every morning. In 1989, required recitation of the Lord’s Prayer was held in violation of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Thus Protestant French and English public schools became French and English public schools with no religious affiliation. In 1984, Ontario’s Premier, William Davis, extended full funding for all secondary grades.

What’s the issue with publicly funded Catholic schools?

In 2012, Ontario’s Drummond Commission examined the reform of Ontario’s public services, which included education. The report identified areas of overlap and duplication (which could save taxpayer’s dollars) within Ontario’s four schools systems but did not ever consider the idea of ending public funding of the Catholic school system. According to the Federation of Urban Neighbourhoods (2012), the reduction in multiple boards would reduce duplication, busing, and capital funding saving the Ontario government between $1.2 and $1.6 billion annually. In the 1990s, Quebec and Newfoundland ended funding of denominational, religious-based schools. But funding of Ontario’s Roman Catholic school system has been considered a constitutional obligation and a really big political football. Note that Jewish, Muslim, and non-Catholic Christian schools are currently not publicly funded.

Why public funding of Catholic schools is unfair?

Right to refuse admission – Even though Ontario’s Catholic schools are publically funded, they have the right to refuse admission to non-Catholic students until grade 9. But with declining enrollment, non-Catholic students are being admitted. My own children attended a Catholic elementary school and had several non-Catholic, (Muslim and Hindu) students in their class. As a middle school teacher, pressure was put upon me to give grade 8 students all “Good and Excellent” learning skills on report cards as parents were told that the local Catholic high school would not take students with “Satisfactory and Needs Improvement” learning skills.

Admission of “preferred” students – According to Kelly Gallagher-Mackay (Toronto Star), research from Scott Davies at the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education showed that children attending Catholic schools are more likely to have parents with post-secondary educations. Further, EQAO data shows GTA Catholic school boards have fewer students with special education needs and significantly fewer students whose first language is not English as compared to English public schools. As a Special Education teacher, in a contained class, I have direct knowledge of Catholic students (who regularly attended Catholic church) being denied access to their local Catholic school as the school “could not accommodate the students due to their special education needs”. Based on my own anecdotal observations in three schools in which I taught multiple grades, the number of students with special education needs is increasing, every year, as a percentage of overall classroom composition.

Lack of acceptance of student diversity – Some Catholic schools ban student funding and clubs were they are “directly or indirectly” inconsistent with Catholic teachings. This means no student funding for the United Way which funds Planned Parenthood or students running Gay Straight Alliance clubs that embrace LGBTQ2S student identities. I’ve also been told that teachers who identify as LGBTQ2S are told to keep quiet about their identity.

Right to refuse employment to non-Catholic teachers – Even though Ontario’s Catholic schools are publicly funded, they have a right to refuse employment to non-Catholic teachers. This means that a large majority of non-Catholic teachers are ineligible for permanent teaching positions, advancement, or promotion. This also means that the non-Catholic students attending Catholic publicly funded schools do not have teachers who represent their religion. Further to this, sectarian Catholic education (Catholic religion classes) is not mandatory.

When my children went to the local Catholic public school, as a parent, I had to produce baptismal certificates for both children. But as enrollment decreased, more non-Catholic students were admitted to the school. As a former Catholic, I was denied access to employment with the Catholic boards as I had to produce a letter from a priest, stating that I attended a Catholic church.

The current public funding of schools in Ontario does not honour the purpose to “provide universally accessible education for all students, regardless of their ethnic, racial, or cultural backgrounds; social or economic status; gender; individual exceptionality; or religious preference.”

Maybe we should draw school boundaries based on local neighbourhoods, instead of religion. Ontario could also consider having drawing lines in having a French and English only boards.

With Ontario’s great diversity of students from multiple backgrounds and religions, it’s time to make all of Ontario’s publically funded schools secular.

Collaboratively Yours,

Deb Weston

References

Drummond Commission Report (2012) Downloaded from https://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/reformcommission/

Federation of Urban Neighbourhoods (2012) Downloaded from https://urbanneighbourhoods.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/ingsfromthemergerofontariopublicandseparateschoolsystems.pdf

Good Governance: A Guide for Trustees, School Boards, Directors of Education and Communities © 2014 Ontario School Trustees Downloaded from http://cge.ontarioschooltrustees.org/en/an-overview-of-ontarios-publicly-funded-education-system.html

OneSchoolSystem.org Downloaded from http://www.oneschoolsystem.org/fast-facts.html

Statistics Canada (2011) Downloaded from http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/dt-td/Rp-eng.cfm?TABID=2&LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GK=0&GRP=0&PID=105399&PRID=0&PTYPE=105277&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2013&THEME=95&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=

Kelly Gallagher-Mackay, Toronto Star, (Tuesday, March 13, 2018) Must end publically funded schooling in Ont. Downloaded from https://www.pressreader.com/canada/toronto-star/20180313/281754154841725

March 11, 2018January 1, 2020 Deb Weston Advocacy for change, agency, Equal Pay in Unions, Gender Equity, Gender stereotypes, Social Justice, Why unions matter, Women at Work

Gender Equity in 2018

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms outlines what gender equity should look like … but do women really have gender equity in 2018?

In education and workplace participation, gender equity has made some strides.

in 2015, women are almost as likely to have a high school (82.5% women vs. 89.3% men) or university degree (83.1% women vs. 89.9% men)
in 2015, 77.5% of women were employed compared to 85.3% of men, up from 21.6% in 1950 and 65.2% in 1983
in 2015, women are more likely to be away from work (30.0% women vs. 23.9% men) and more likely to be away for a full week of work (38.4% women vs. 24.8% men)
in 2015, women are more likely to work part-time (18.9% women vs. 5.5% men)
in 2015, women are more likely to do volunteer work (67.2% women vs. 53.0% men)
In 1976 – men had higher levels of employment based on the marital status
- 1976 men – 78.0 % employed single/never married, 92.7% employed married/common-law, and 82.3% employed separated/divorced/widowed
In 2015 – women employment rates of women no longer differ based on marital status
- 1976 women – 79.4% employed single/never married, 44.6% employed married/common-law, and 59.2% employed separated/divorced/widowed

Nevertheless, challenges remain:

Too few women are advancing into leadership roles.

Women make up just 21.6% of Financial Post 500* board member (2016)

Women are under-represented in politics in 2015.

26% of those elected to the 42^ndParliament are women
women made up 28% of municipal councillors and only 18% of mayors

Women continue to be responsible for the majority of care giving and household unpaid work.

women vs. men still spend (25.7 hrs/week) more time caring for their children (in 2010 women 50.1 vs. 24.4 hours/week on unpaid child care)
women vs. men are twice as likely to spend more than 10 hours per week unpaid work caring for seniors (49% women vs. 25% men)
women vs. men spend 5.5 hours more on housework (13.8 hrs women vs. 8.3 hrs men per week)

Women in the workforce tend to earn less than men.

women earn $0.876 for every dollar men earn, largely as a result of inequity between women and men within occupations (2015)

Women continue to experience high rates of gender-based violence.

Women have a 20% higher risk of violent victimization than men (2015)
Women account for 87% of victims of sexual offences and 76% of victims of criminal harassment (2015)

Some groups are at particular risk for gender-based violence.

10% of aboriginal women were about three times as likely to report being a victim of spousal violence as 3% of non-Aboriginal women (2015)

How does this impact ETFO members?

As 82% of elementary teachers identify as women, women’s issues directly impact elementary teachers.

With too few women (21.6%) in leadership roles, women’s voices are not heard.
With under-representation of women in politics, women’s needs and equality are not addressed.
With more women spending their time, away from work, on unpaid work (caring for children and seniors, housework, volunteer work) , this unpaid work is not valued.
With women taking more time off work than men, this means women pay for higher sick leaves and long term leaves (on a personal note, when my children were young, I used 15 days of vacation days, before teaching, to take care of sick children and had no vacation that year). Again, women’s time at work is not valued as much as men’s time at work – if it was, more men would be taking time off to deal with family responsibilities.

Further, our ETFO colleagues are 20% more likely to be victims of violence than men and 87% of victims of sexual violence. Our aboriginal ETFO colleagues are 3 times more likely to be victims of spousal violence.

Fortunately, female and male ETFO members are paid equitably based on experience and qualifications.

How do we change this?

Advocate for women leaders and leadership
Advocate for men to take on more caregiving and household responsibilities
Advocate for better, more inexpensive and supplemented childcare
Start small by changing attitudes and behaviours of women’s paid and unpaid work
Challenge gender stereotypes and subtle sexism encountered every day
Challenge sexism and discrimination that allow gender inequality to exist
Go for leadership roles and run for office

How can you change this on a personal level?

Expect men to take as much responsibility as women to care for children and seniors
Expect men to take parental leave so women to go back to work
Expect men to take as much responsibility as women for household chores
Hire house cleaners to clean your house, even if they clean part of the house
Advocate for better, more affordable/supplemented childcare, where the childcare workers are fairly paid

In Canada, gender equity is exists but it’s not completely equal. Let’s hope women can make similar strides in improving stats in leadership, unpaid work, and gender violence that have happened in education and employment. Let’s hope in the next 10 years, the stats noted above will look more equal, more equitable, and less biased towards women.

Happy International Womens’ Day 2018

Collaboratively Yours,

Deb Weston

Interesting Resources:

http://interactive.unwomen.org/multimedia/timeline/womenunite/en/index.html#/1840

http://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/multimedia/2018/2/infographic-rural-women

http://interactive.unwomen.org/multimedia/infographic/changingworldofwork/en/index.html

http://www.un.org/en/women/endviolence/

https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/International-Womens-Day/602161

https://www.teachstarter.com/blog/free-international-womens-day-resources-activities/

https://www.internationalwomensday.com/School-Resources

http://www.caaws.ca/gender-equity-101/what-is-gender-equity/