Is poverty a problem in a well-off country like Canada? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. Especially for women.
Although Canada is a relatively wealthy country, about 1 in 10 Canadians are living on a low income, and 1.5 million of those living on a low income are women. As the infographic below shows, the incidence of poverty is even higher for particular groups of women.
There are two main reasons women tend to be poorer than men:
You’re 14 and you’re at a party. A group of friends come up to you and one pulls out a cigarette. “Wanna smoke?” she asks, as she lights up and starts passing it around.
You don’t want to get in trouble for smoking. But you also don’t want to get “unfriended” for not smoking.
How do you respond? How do you teach your children to respond?
This is the kind of question participants discuss in the teen healthy relationships programs that are funded by the Canadian Women’s Foundation. The programs teach strategies for developing boundaries, empathy, assertiveness and conflict resolution -- skills that parents can also teach at home.
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This post originally appeared on Huffington Post, as part of Mina;s ongoing blog series dedicated to raising awarness about the issues facing women and girls in Canada.
Rise Up! Speak Out! Stand Up!”
Earlier this week, I heard women and men from across Canada screaming this at a One Billion Rising event in Toronto. Women and men coming together to speak up about violence and abuse towards women; to stand up for women’s safety and to demand that domestic violence and sexual assault stops.
And I was inspired.
This was originally published on Huffington Post as part of Mina's new ongoing blog to raise awareness about issues affecting women and girls in Canada.
Before the end of today, you might notice a few small media stories mentioning that it’s International Women’s Day. If you’re like many Canadians, you might wonder why we still need a day like this, especially in a country like ours.
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