International Women’s Day 2022

It’s #IWD! We wish everyone in GEM’s community a happy International Women’s Day!

GEM has had the opportunity to witness so many fantastic women and girls come so far over our time in the mentorship community. After a difficult two years of a global pandemic, we see light at the end of the tunnel.

However, we would like to take this moment to highlight the impact the pandemic has had on women:
– Nearly half a million Canadian women who left the workforce during the pandemic have not returned. (RBC, 2021)
– 1 in 4 women have considered stepping back from their careers due to the pandemic’s demands (shrm.org)
– Women still make $0.89 for every $1 men make, with a more significant gap for BPOC and immigrant women. (CBC, 2021)
– Women accounted for 47.3% of employment pre-pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, women were disproportionately affected by employment losses, accounting for 62.5% of overall labour market losses. (Statistics Canada, 2021)

We recognize the path to leadership is riddled with both systemic and structural barriers and look for meaningful ways to act as change makers to alleviate the barriers young women face. Please visit our website for ways for you to get involved.