YWCA Hamilton joins the call to end Ontario’s she-cession

It’s only been a few weeks since the 44^th federal election – but in only a few short months, Ontarians will head to the polls once again to elect new provincial leaders.

During the federal election, we had hoped to hear more from all candidates about helping women and gender-diverse people recover from the pandemic – especially since the pandemic has disproportionately affected women (particularly those who are Black, Indigenous, racialized, Two Spirit and LGTBQIA+, newcomers, and those who are living with disabilities).

However, aside from some discussion focusing on a national child care plan, we were incredibly disappointed that there were no policies in any party platform that focused on helping end the current she-cession.

That’s why we are proud to highlight a new campaign led by the YWCA Ontario coalition which aims to start the conversation about a she-covery in advance of the June 2022 election.

YWCA Hamilton, along with YWCA member associations across Ontario, are calling on all candidates, parties, and leaders to include transformative strategies in their platforms to help women regain their foothold in the workforce. This requires bold, targeted, thoughtful action – and that’s why we are starting this campaign now. Task forces and tax credits simply aren’t enough.

As part of this campaign, we are asking you to add your name to a petition that encourages all candidates to remain focused on creating a strategy that includes:

• Investment in long-term, sustainable, gender-focused upskilling and training to help women access well-paying jobs;
• Signing on to the federal child care plan to create a public and non-profit-led, high quality, affordable child care system; and,
• Enactment of standards for decent work conditions to improve labour and employment standards in feminized industries.

The campaign also includes an open letter to all Ontario parties urging them to take action, signed by our YWCA Hamilton along with several signatories (including Armine Yalnizyan, the writer and economist who first coined the term “she-cession.”) The campaign will use the hashtag #SheCoveryON to amplify the dialogue about this issue on social media.