Quick Escape 
October is National Women’s History Month! This year’s theme is Women at Work: Economic Growth Past, Present and Future. At YWCA Hamilton, one of our priorities is celebrating the contributions women, girls, and gender-diverse people have made to the workforce, and inspiring our communities to pursue their interests in all industries.
To that end, on October 9th, YWCA Hamilton’s Vice President of Economic Development, Khadija Hamidu, participated a panel for the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on International Trade (CIIT), responding to a study the Committee is conducting on initiatives to assist women-owned and -led businesses across Canada to grow and succeed.
This panel included representatives from several organizations, all of whom spoke to the systemic and structural barriers women entrepreneurs face in growing their businesses and accessing international markets. The Committee has noted that although the full and equal participation of women in the Canadian economy is essential to our ongoing sustainability and economic innovation, women still own fewer than 20% of Canadian businesses.
These barriers multiply for people who experience complex marginalization related to their identities and histories, including racialized women, new immigrants, and people with disabilities. This means the ways we address these barriers must be responsive to peoples’ experiences of intersectional oppression, and elevate the unique perspectives they bring to our communities.
Khadija told the Committee:
“We know that women continue to be left behind in STEM and Skilled Trades. We also know that these male dominated industries have real potential for secure, high demand jobs with good wages that can lead to the sort of inspiration that enables women to join innovative companies where they can grow their skills and eventually take the leap themselves to begin a business.”
She pointed to the success of YWCA’s Uplift Program, which to date, has been delivered in six communities across Southwestern Ontario to almost 400 participants. 86% of participants have made a career transition in Advanced Manufacturing, Data Science, and Data Analytics while in the program or shortly after completion.
Khadija concluded with the following critical recommendations to the Committee for the continued investments of the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy:
- Sustainable long-term investments and re-investments in successful programs
- Closing the gender digital divide by continued investment in skill-building
- Access to mentors and allies
- Encourage diversity in supply chains and promote this as a corporate and intergovernmental supply chain
- Promote alternative models such cooperatives and collectives which are business models more often adopted by women
- Prioritize women-led and owned business for government procurement
We will continue to advocate for programs, investments and policies that support women and gender-diverse people in their chosen field and lead conversations about how we can work together for a more inclusive community.
Women’s economic power is an investment in our collective future.