To create cities that are safe, innovative and prosperous, we must support and empower everyone to thrive. Many cities in Europe are recognizing areas that need to be altered or fortified in order to provide all their citizens with equal opportunities and quality of life.
One such leader in gender equity reform is Vienna, Austria which has taken significant steps to prioritize inclusivity and gender neutrality through a strategy called “gender mainstreaming”. This is an all-encompassing approach, across every sector of government that aims to include equal infrastructure, policy, settings and conditions for all people.
This work can be seen in action within multiple aspects of life within Vienna. One key example is sidewalk infrastructure. All sidewalks are designed to be wide enough to accommodate strollers and parents walking with their children. Additionally, city planners redesigned parks to include adequate lighting to ensure women felt safer walking at night.
Policy action includes incentives for women to work in male-dominated fields, such as bonuses for women in top positions. Vienna also recognizes that systemic change starts with education and ensuring the new generation doesn’t face the same barriers as past generations. The city produced a toolkit for educators to work with young children in early childhood education and care, based on gender-sensitive pedagogy.
The difference is in the details. At first glance, Vienna doesn’t seem to differ significantly from other cities, but the functionality and accessibility of a city are felt in the day-to-day, which should be reflected in our reforms.
Where We’re At
British Columbia has the worst gender pay gap in Canada, according to Statistics Canada. Women in B.C. make, on average, 20 percent less than men. The number of sexual assaults and gender-based crimes are the highest they have been since 1996, with the rate amongst Indigenous women significantly higher than non-Indigenous women. Although this rise in violence has been linked to the pandemic, violence against women has been an ongoing issue in B.C.
With local elections approaching on October 15th, it is more important than ever to highlight the lack of representation and diversity within local government. Across Canada, only one-fifth of our mayors are women.
Why aren’t there as many women in mayoral positions? It isn’t because they aren’t qualified. It is due to systemic barriers such as limited access to traditional political networks, less economic capital due to gender pay gaps, and unequal caregiving burdens. Diversity is important in Municipal policy-making, as the decisions made locally have the most direct impact on our daily lives. If a city council lacks gender and cultural diversity, issues that may otherwise have been noticed or advocated for by someone with relevant lived experience may be overlooked. With such a diverse population, cities in the Metro Vancouver region need to have representation that advocates for everyone’s needs.
Actionable Change
Though we do have our work cut out for us, there are many who are taking great efforts to ensure an equitable future for Metro Vancouver.
YWCA Metro Vancouver is committed to advocating for greater equity in our cities. That’s why we launched City Shift, a three-year project that calls on local decision-makers across policy, funding and services to reflect on the work that needs to be done to make Metro Vancouver a safer and more equitable place and to follow through with the changes that need to be made.
This September, City Shift will host a series of events and workshops. The first event is Reimagining our Cities, featuring keynote speaker Maria Vassilakou, Former Deputy Mayor of Vienna, Austria, to speak on her experiences successfully helping Vienna become an equitable and liveable city. The event will also feature Andrea Reimer, Adjunct Professor, UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs as our Emcee, and a panel discussion with Kevin Huang Executive Director, Hua Foundation; Ginger Gosnell-Myers, SFU Fellow focused on Decolonization and Urban Indigenous Planning; Nic Wayara Founder, Hook or Crook Consulting; Tiffany Muller Myrdahl Expert in urban and feminist geography and Senior Lecturer at SFU, and a reading by New Westminster's Poet Laureate, Elliott Slinn.
Women from all backgrounds and identities have not had an equal voice in how we build and grow our cities. YWCA City Shift is committed to changing that – building cities where all women and gender-diverse people are seen, heard and cared for.
To register to Reimagining our Cities, please visit the event page.
