(Taking) Action on Systemic Barriers to Womens Participation in - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

(Taking) Action on Systemic Barriers to Women’s Participation in Local Government

Presentation to UBCM/FCM webinar March 5, 2019

Our Project

“(Taking) action on systemic barriers to women’s participation in local government” Funded by Status of Women Canada

• Vancouver and Surrey
• Studying:

1. Candidates and elected officials 2. Advisory bodies 3. City staff 4. Public engagement strategies We have also conducted a literature review to provide an overview of the identified barriers to women’s involvement in local governance and strategies to overcome those barriers.

Intersectionality in Research and Analysis

Intersectionality attempts to understand how multiple forces work together and interact to reinforce conditions of inequality and social exclusion. Intersectionality examines how factors including socio-economic status, race, class, gender, sexualities, ability, geographic location, and refugee and immigrant status, among others combine with broader historical and current systems of discrimination, such as colonialism and globalization, to simultaneously determine inequalities among individuals and groups.

• 1. Candidates and Elected Officials

What we’re doing:

• Data collection on women candidates and electeds over time
• Interviews with women who ran for office and/or were elected
• Interviews with civic parties
• Public forums in each city
• Analysis of data on how electoral systems

and voter turnout and demographics impact the election of women from diverse back- grounds

• 1. Candidates and Elected Officials

Surrey Population

Surrey City Council Electeds

• 1. Council Composition—Surrey 2018

42% 58% 78% 22% 50% 50%

Surrey Councillor Candidates

Non-Caucasian/White Caucasion/White

• 1. Council Composition--Vancouver

52% 48%

Vancouver Population

90% 10%

Vancouver City Council Electeds

68% 32%

Vancouver Councillor Candidates

Non-Caucasian/White White/Caucasian

• 1. Candidates and Elected Officials

Barriers:

• Financing a campaign
• Time constraints (e.g., shift work)
• Child/family care responsibilities
• Racism/ tokenism and misogyny
• Societal and cultural attitudes re: women’s

“place” and role and abilities

• Electoral system: FPTP; lack of a ward system;

low voter turnout Supports/opportunities: § Civic party support for women candidates § Personal support network (family, volunteers) § Mentoring by women with experience running for/holding office § Info sessions/training for potential women candidates on how the electoral system works § Previous experience with City functions (public events, committee membership) § Passion for a particular cause (e.g., quality of education for children)

• 2. Advisory Bodies

What we’re doing:

• Vancouver:

○ On-line survey of current and former advisory body members; follow up interviews ○ Historical analysis of gender composition of advisory body members

• Surrey:

○ Interviews with current advisory body members

• 2. Advisory Bodies

Findings so far:

• Each city should have a permanent Women’s Advisory Committee that cannot be disbanded by a new

council

• All advisory bodies should have at least 50% women, and be reflective of the diversity of the city’s

population

• New members need thorough orientation to enhance their understanding of the advisory body’s role,

responsibilities, and the limits of its ability to influence policy

• Members should be given the tools to track their influence; participation and “input” are not enough
• Meetings should have a flexible schedule, to accommodate various members’ schedules
• Support for child/family care and transportation should be available for members that require it
• Advisory bodies need administrative support from the city, e.g., dedicated staff resources

• 3. City Staff

What we’re doing:

• Data collection on number of women in leadership/ management positions
• Interviews with unions representing staff employees
• Vancouver: on-line survey with over 300 senior management, in collaboration with City ‘s

implementation of its objectives as part of the Women’s Equity Strategy

• 3. City Staff: Vancouver

From the City of Vancouver Women’s Equity Strategy (2018-2028)

• 4. Public Engagement Strategies

What we’re doing:

• Vancouver:

○ Review major Talk Vancouver reports for data on participation ○ Review City-provided analysis of public input received as part of the Women’s Equity Strategy public engagement efforts ○ Review other public engagement strategies of the City: Pop-Up City Hall, Doors Open Vancouver, City 3-1-1

• Surrey:

○ Survey of 32 community organizations to determine their perspectives on strengths/weaknesses of public engagement strategies and methods

• 4. Public Engagement Strategies
• 15,187 members
• Gender: 46% male, 52% female, 2% prefer not to say
• Ethnic origins: 43% European, 41% Canadian, 11% Chinese, 5% American, 3% South Asian, 3%

Other Asian, 2% First Nations, 2% Latin/South American

• 25% had children under age 18
• 45% were renters, and 51% owed their homes (4% other)

• 4. Public Engagement Strategies

Findings so far—cities should:

• Collect demographic information on who participates in their consultations, including at in-person

events, to identify underrepresented groups

• Conduct outreach with underrepresented groups and work with city advisory bodies and community
• rganizations to ensure greater inclusiveness and representation
• Consider holding some engagement activities for women only, in spaces where women can safely

express their views

• Hold in-person consultations at locations that are easily accessible via public transit, and at times that

can accommodate the needs of families and seniors—providing childcare would be wise practice

• Provide public engagement materials in languages other than English, and translation services at

public events

Final Product: Assessment and Actions

Following the completion of our assessment for the four areas for each City, we intend to:

• Present our findings to each city emphasizing both what is working well and what could be improved
• Recommend actions which could include:

○ The development of policies and practices to include diverse women’s voices in all areas of City decision-making, e.g., Vancouver’s recent development of a Diversity on Advisory Bodies Strategy ○ The development of strategies that cities can use to conduct voter outreach and education prior to civic elections specifically focusing on underrepresented groups, e.g., Vancouver’s outreach program prior to 2018 election ○ The establishment of processes for collaborative and on-going evaluation of City programs related to equity/diversity that privilege the voices of diverse women

Thank you!