by Allison Smith –
This issue marks our 10th Seaside Magazine Women to Watch feature, where we shine a light on some of the amazing businesswomen in our Saanich Peninsula community.
From time to time, we’re asked something along the lines of “if women want to be equal, why single them out by having a special issue to highlight them?” Because, as our Editorial Director Deborah Rogers says: “we believe it is still important and necessary.”
It’s true, women have come a long way, especially over the last generation. In “Peninsula Voices” (pg 18), cover star Michele Holmes reflects on the time she bought a new car for herself, but was asked for her husband’s income information. I’m sure many of our readers have their own memories of this sort of bias, but I’m happy – and lucky – that my peers likely don’t have similar experiences.
In the last 30+ years, the gender wage gap has narrowed by about 5.5% … a promising statistic that seems to back a more equal playing field, but not when the numbers show that women, on average, still make $4.11 less per hour than men.
Only 24 (or about 3.5%) of TSX-listed Canadian companies had a woman CEO as of July, 2019. When we look at management occupations overall that number jumps, but only to 35.3%.
So what does this tell us? On the road to true equality, we’re getting there, but slowly. So it’s all the more important to celebrate those women who are making things happen for themselves, perhaps forgoing a traditional career in favour of striking out on their own and doing something they love. The six women featured in “Women in Business: Taking Risks, Pursuing Passions” (pg 11) have lots to say about what drives them and what they’ve learned … one thing they don’t talk a lot about is being a woman. They are just entrepreneurs, like any other, who hope to grow a successful business and support others along the way. And that can inspire us all.
