Empower rural women day

Beth Ward.

International Women’s Day has been celebrated for more than 100 years. It is an occasion to look back on past struggles and accomplishments and, more importantly, to look ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women. It is a day when women the world over are recognized for their achievements.
The idea of establishing an International Women’s Day was formally introduced in 1910 at a conference held in Copenhagen, with over 100 women representing 17 countries. The suggestion won unanimous approval and International Women’s Day was born.
Following that decision International Women’s Day was honoured in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. More than one million women and men attended International Women’s Day rallies campaigning for women’s rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination. However less than a week later , the tragic ‘Triangle Fire’ in New York City took the lives of more than 140 working women, most of them Italian and Jewish immigrants. This disastrous event drew significant attention to working conditions and labour legislation in the United States and became a focus of subsequent International Women’s Day events in the US. On the eve of the First World War, Russian women observed their first International Women’s Day on the last Sunday in February 1913, campaigning for peace. In 1913 following discussions, International Women’s Day was transferred to March 8 This day has remained the global date for International Women’s Day ever since.
For many years the United Nations has held an annual International Women’s Day conference to coordinate international efforts for women’s rights and participation in social, political and economic processes. This year’s UN theme for International Women’s Day is Empower Rural Women - End Poverty and Hunger. Several of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals reflect realities of our own community: Eradicate poverty and hunger; promote gender equality and empower women, and ensure environmental sustainability.
We struggle with these conditions on a daily basis: Rural women are more likely to be either unemployed or employed in part-time, seasonal and/or low-paying work than men; many rural women experience domestic violence yet fewer seek services than their urban counterparts; accessing services such as counselling and legal services is frequently more difficult for rural women due to distance and the lack of transportation.
Many jobs in Muskoka are dependent on the environment: parks, hotels and golf courses for example, are sectors which offer seasonal, part-time work. Environmental degradation has a great impact on natural resources which many women rely on, directly and indirectly, for their livelihood.
In recent years there has been a significant attitudinal shift in both women’s and society’s thoughts about women’s equality and emancipation.
Many from younger generations feel that all the battles have been won for women while many women from the 1970s know only too well the longevity and ingrained complexity of patriarchy. With more women in the boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, and an increased visibility of women as impressive role models in every aspect of life, one could think that women have gained true equality. The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to their male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women’s education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men.
The tone and nature of International Women’s Day has, for the past few years, moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives. When I look around Muskoka it is clear that much remains to be done to achieve gender equity yet it is also clear that there is much to celebrate - we do have female political and businesses leaders, girls are welcomed into universities and non-traditional trades and women can work and have families. These things matter because women’s inclusion affects the issues and the processes of decision-making. Women’s inclusion is a matter of equality.
Speaking of celebrating the successes of local women, on Friday March 2, 2012, Bonnie Tulloch, originally from Torrance, was appointed a federal judge of Nunavut. Bonnie, mother to three, returned to Osgoode Law School as a mature student having worked in Muskoka as both a court reporter and court clerk. She articled in Muskoka and subsequently worked for the Keewatin Legal Service Centre Society in Nunavut and the Legal Service Board of Nunavut. Bonnie became a Crown prosecutor in Nunavut in 2004, was regional director for Nunavut with the Department of Justice and until her appointment, was a lawyer with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada in Ottawa. Bonnie’s judicial appointment takes effect immediately. I celebrate Bonnie’s determination, contributions and appointment. A wonderful, homegrown example of the far reaching benefits of empowering rural women!
Thousands of events are held throughout the world to mark International Women’s Day, celebrate the achievements of women and inspire young women. Events in Muskoka celebrating International Women’s Day include the Women’s Health and Wellness Fair, Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures in Gravenhurst hosted by Canadian Women in Corrections and Huntsville’s Wonderful Women Week celebrating women and raising awareness of “women-positive” organizations. The second annual Women in Film Festival will be held March 8. This year’s theme is women and the environment with Fairly Foul, a film about chemicals, cosmetics and you – researched by Katie Ungard and filmed by Virginia Hastings – both of Huntsville. The feature film is Take Roots, a film about the Greenbelt Movement of Kenya and its founder – Wangari Maathai – the first environmentalist and the first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Join in and celebrate the women of Muskoka!
Beth Ward, a resident of Muskoka for over 30 years, is passionate about work, and ways of working that make a difference to people’s lives. A feminist and social activist, Beth has held leadership roles in a number of Muskoka health and community service organizations.

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