With reports of intimate partner violence increasing during the pandemic, and women and gender-diverse people experiencing unemployment disproportionately, a national emergency fund could be their road to safety.
COVID-19 has 70 percent of Canadians concerned about their ability to pay bills and Canada has a gendered poverty problem — understanding their trauma around money could be a step towards financial literacy.
As Canada’s social impact world reflects on how the pandemic has slowed economic progress and gender equity, the conversation shouldn’t only be about recovering –– but reimaging a world where women and gender expansive people can thrive.
Only 19 percent of women find a job after incarceration, compared to 50 percent of men. Assisting with abortions, cushioning healthcare costs and helping pregnant people find housing upon their release can help with reintegration.
This policy, if enacted, could affect the charitable status of organizations that oppose abortion – but it could also open the door to more scrutiny of charities any government disagrees with.
The pandemic exposed deep inequity in Canada and around the world. Civil society must challenge the government power structures and fundamental economic institutions that create barriers to women’s economic independence for everyone to recover from the pandemic.
