If you asked a girl what would make her feel more confident: looking skinny in a fashionable outfit or playing on a soccer team, how do you think she would answer?
There’s a good chance she would stop and think about it first.
Canada turns another year older tomorrow. We’ll celebrate by dressing up in red and white and gasping at fireworks as they explode in the sky. Canada Day is an exciting reminder of how far this country has progressed in the last 149 years. Yet despite the significant steps forward, women still haven’t reached true gender equality. In 2015, Canada was ranked 30th on the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index.
Today, women can legally vote, go to school, become doctors and lawyers, and run for political office. Women can, in theory, do whatever and be whoever they want. But in government and business leadership roles, there remains a significant gap between Canadian men and women.
This blog post was originally published on the Realfword.
A couple years ago I took 10 young female managers from my company to a leadership session hosted by WXN (Women’s Executive Network) for female leaders. That year, I had the honour of being awarded one of Canada’s top 100 most Powerful Women, and on the day of the gala awards they hosted a symposium for women. I was excited that the team of female managers/leaders I took had the opportunity to listen to successful female leaders on a variety of topics.
In the fall, some colleagues and I attended a panel hosted by TD’s Diversity & Inclusion Centre of Excellence, chaired by TD’s Monique Bateman, Special Advisor, Aboriginal Relations. There, we listened to three inspiring Chiefs talk about leadership.
Right away I was struck by how—unlike during the leaders’ debates aired during the countdown to our federal election—the panelists did not once interrupt each other. They each waited patiently for the moderator’s questions and answered in turn, when asked. Their answers were smart, thoughtful, and carefully considered.
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