Author: Claire Edwards

With International Women’s Day around the corner, women are asked to organize galas, celebrations and fundraisers, adding more to their workload of unpaid tasks.

Every year, March 8 marks International Women’s Day. International Women’s Day (IWD) celebrates the achievements of women and girls in social, economic, cultural and political climates, and calls to accelerate gender equity. IWD dates back to the 1900s as a way to fight for women’s rights. We’ve come a long way since then: women gained the right to vote, shattered many glass ceilings in male-dominated fields, and have more equality in legislative rights — celebrating these achievements is valuable. But behind the celebration, there’s a hidden cost for women.

Emotional labour and unpaid work

It’s important to acknowledge how far women have come and how far we have yet to go, but IWD events tend not to dig that deep. And sometimes, these events can feel performative — think of the companies who host a special day for women yet continue to have a gender pay gap and tolerate a work culture that is dismissive toward women. The cherry on top of these once-a-year events? Women are usually the ones asked to organize them.

The weight and responsibility of planning IWD often falls on the shoulders of women. Across the board, women make up the majority of those who take on unpaid work. Think of social committees, school volunteers and gala organizers: women tend to take on those roles, and this is largely due to a volunteering history from when most women did not hold paid positions. Yet now that most women are in the workforce, the expectation to take on additional, unpaid responsibilities remains.

Companies will often ask female panellists to speak without pay, female employees to organize an IWD gala outside of working hours or ask the women in the office to brainstorm ideas on what the company can do.

It’s time to revisit how we celebrate and advance women and make sure it’s causing more good than harm.

How can we celebrate differently this year?

This IWD, ensure the way you or your company celebrates does not bring more unwanted work to women. And know that the responsibility to plan and organize an event doesn’t have to fall on you if you’re the one being asked. This year, alleviate the emotional labour some women have to carry and celebrate in useful ways. Some Calgary-based companies, like Toast — a member collective for women in tech — are even going as far as sitting this IWD out.

Celebrate women in your circle. Instead of sharing a trending Instagram post everyone has seen, make your declarations more personal and intentional. If you feel like making a statement online, make sure it’s attached to action, like donating to organizations that help advance women’s rights and successes. In the workplace, women want equal pay and healthy work cultures. Ask your employees what they need or what could help them. Revisit company policies. Find the gaps and start closing them.

Join Axis in helping promote women in the workplace. Become a member today.

Women make up slightly above 50 per cent of Canada’s population, yet we are still far from equal political representation.

Historically, there were no women’s washrooms near the House of Commons. Originally, political spaces were never imagined as rooms where women would be welcome. And while women have made great strides in the political landscape today, the gap in women in politics remains.

Sarah Elder, owner of Madame Premier and podcast host of The Briefing Note, has an extensive political background, having worked as a research officer and assistant to various municipal ministers. She knows firsthand the lack of representation of women in political discussions as someone who has been, at times, the only woman in the room.

Elder explains that fundraising for a campaign is one of the biggest barriers to elected positions in politics. Beyond funding, professional background and the perception of unpaid work act as barriers, too.

“If there are two people in front of you, and you ask them both, ‘What do you do?’ One of them says, I’m an accountant at an oil and gas company,’ and the other says, I’m a stay-at-home mom,’ and they both want to run for office. Who do you think people would naturally turn towards as being thought of as a more qualified candidate?” asks Elder. It’s the standard to dismiss women who have taken a career break to take on domestic responsibilities without ever acknowledging the possibility that she may have extensive political expertise.

The Glass Cliff

An additional phenomenon that affects women, and one we are currently seeing in today’s Canadian political landscape, is the Glass Cliff. The Glass Cliff happens when a woman is put in a leadership position at a time of crisis or uncertainty where failure can be imminent. Following Trudeau’s resignation, three women have entered the race to become the next Liberal Party leader.

“They would inherit the crisis, turmoil and everything that Justin Trudeau is leaving in his legacy and his departure from politics, coupled with the precariousness of being in a minority government and, almost immediately after, going into a federal election, where the outcome of that election and the future of the Federal Liberal Party is really uncertain,” explains Elder.

The issue is not that women can lead in difficult times; it’s what happens after the circumstances cause her not to succeed. Also, it’s worth asking ourselves why women are called on in times of crisis and ultimately set up to fail.

“We want women to lead and be political leaders in a good time, not just a bad time, when their chances of failure are high, because who comes up after them in the vacuum of leadership? Typically, a man.”

Elder explains that when a woman fails in the eyes of the public, it’s easy to look past the circumstances she took on and only see a lack of qualifications or skill. Plus, it sets up an unfair, yet common, argument to say that a man in power has always worked before; therefore, we should return to it, albeit once the woman has cleaned up the mess.

Participating for change

Before 1918, women did not have the right to vote, and even then, it was exclusionary for certain women. “Women had to fight for the right to vote and to be considered persons under the law in Canada,” says Elder.

Today, some overlook the fight for that right; only 68.5 per cent of women voted in the general 2019 election. At just over 50 per cent of Canada’s population, women make up the majority, and in a numbers game, there’s a lot of power in the majority.

“There is a huge diversity of thought and political belief within that percentage, which is absolutely fundamental to healthy democracy,” says Elder. “What we also have in there is a huge opportunity, as women, to shift policy.”

If women rallied together, no matter their political stance, and became more involved in politics — whether through elected roles, voting involvement or advocating for more participation — the impact would be significant.

With more women at the table, policy-making includes more voices and creates effective change in policies that affect everyone. “All of a sudden, the conversation changes when you have possibly even just one person at the table who has a different lived experience,” says Elder.

Don’t miss more conversations on women in leadership. Become a member today.

In our new Burnout 101 series, we’ll dive deep into all things burnout and provide expert tips on what it is, the risks associated, how to recognize and manage it, and how it pertains to mid-to senior-level leaders. This month, we look at the basics of burnout and how people reach that point of exhaustion. Plus, Dr. Valerie Taylor shares some tips to help manage its symptoms.

Burnout is more than just feeling too busy or overwhelmed, and it doesn’t happen overnight. It tends to show up after an accumulation of varying factors and/or prolonged stress, resulting in a state of all-encompassing exhaustion with negative and serious effects. For women who work in senior leadership with a lot on their plate, it can be hard to recognize whether or not what they’re feeling is burnout.

“People talk about feeling frayed at the edges. They’ve lost the capacity to handle things the way they once did because they are exhausted,” says Dr. Valerie Taylor, department head of psychiatry at the Cumming School of Medicine. Taylor has extensive experience in mental health and its links to the body. She leads the Taylor Lab, which investigates potential new treatments for mental illness, among other focuses. She has various clinical trials that are looking at modifying the gut microbiome as a way to treat mental illnesses. Her research and knowledge on the links between mental illness and disease provide expert insight into why burnout is so much more than just a catchphrase.

Common reasons that lead to burnout are having too much on your plate to manage, not feeling recognized or valued, having difficulty setting boundaries and feeling like you’ve lost control.

Burnout shows up as mental, physical and emotional exhaustion, with symptoms that can include headaches, muscle tension and other types of physical discomfort, brain fog, difficulty concentrating, a diminished sense of accomplishment and fewer coping skills.

“If we’re thinking about work, things that you used to take joy from at work, you don’t anymore,” explains Taylor. “What happens if that’s not addressed is that it can lead to a sense of helplessness and a lack of motivation, and then you become less engaged, and it starts to create a vicious cycle.”

And while it is critical to address, it can be difficult to manage. Here, Taylor suggests a few tips to help you lessen the effects of burnout.

Avoid multitasking: Mute the email notifications, move away from your phone, work in shorter, uninterrupted bursts and focus on the task at hand. Start building time in your day for a rest or a planned walk, and avoid phone distractions.

Make time to be mindful: It’s easy to overlook taking breaks, but setting aside a little bit of time to relax, reset and take a few deep breaths can make a big difference. Taylor suggests exploring different apps that encourage mindfulness and relaxation periods throughout the day.

Set clear boundaries: Know your limits and enforce them. This will help you feel like you’re gaining back a sense of control, which can be helpful when things feel overwhelming.

Pursue activities you enjoy: While it’s important to avoid taking on too much, finding something that will give you a sense of personal satisfaction is also valuable. Taylor suggests community engagement activities, like volunteering, to boost how you’re feeling. “Those things actually change your brain. They increase chemicals like serotonin, dopamine or oxytocin that make us feel better.”

Surround yourself with good people: Taylor explains that “burnout can make us socially isolated. You may think, ‘I feel miserable. I don’t want to make my friends miserable. I’m not going to go be with them.’ But actually, those small activities, even just laughter, can really make a huge difference.”

Don’t miss out on our events, networking opportunities and more conversations exploring issues relevant to mid-to senior-level leaders. Become an Axis member today.

Statistics Canada reports that in 2022, on average, women aged 15 and up made 84 cents for every dollar men made.  

The gender wage gap is nothing new. It affects women across all sectors and professional levels and happens all around the globe. Still, we’ve made progress in closing the gap in the last couple of decades. In 1998, women aged 25-54 made 18.8 per cent less than men compared to 11.1 per cent in 2021. 

Despite making strides, we still have a long way to go to attain wage parity, especially in Alberta. In 2023, Alberta was among the poorest performing provinces regarding the wage gap: women made 81 cents on a man’s dollar, compared to provinces like PEI, which has exceeded parity by one cent.  

The discrepancy starts young 

A 2018 Girl Guides Report showed that girls aged 12-18 earned about $3.00 per hour less than boys during full-time summer jobs, and the gap widened to $6.31 per hour in informal settings, like working for family, friends and neighbours. Faced with the wage gap right from the get-go, women typically slowly accrue more financial challenges than men as time goes on, like taking longer to pay off student debt.

Impact and solutions

The pay gap is a disadvantage to more than just women; it’s costing the economy at large. In a 2016 report prepared by Deloitte for the Ontario Ministry of Labour, it’s estimated that the gender wage gap contributed to $18 billion in yearly household income losses in Ontario alone. But, if we closed the gap and families’ income increased with equal pay between genders, Deloitte estimates that government spending on social assistance, tax credits and child benefits could decrease by $103 million.   

The increase in women’s wages in recent years is largely due to more representation across occupations and an increase in education. The Pay Equity Act — which looks to achieve pay equity by correcting gender-based discrimination — came into play in 2021. Now, we must collectively champion more representation of women across all sectors, uplift and empower young girls and continue to give women opportunities to advance professionally.  

Keep up with how we continue to champion gender equity in the workplace and become an Axis member today.  

Beyond the benefits to workplace culture, employee well-being and performance, equity and inclusion in the workplace drives economic growth. According to a 2023 Moody’s Analytics report, closing the labour force gender gap could boost global economic activity by seven trillion USD.  

In Canada, between 1976 and 2015, the labour force increased by 8.8 million, 5.2 million of which were women,* and this has helped strengthen the economy we know today. 

Still, despite all the evidence that when women work and get paid an equal wage, the economy grows, we have not yet reached full gender equity in professional settings. 

Here are three common barriers for professional women and a look at how taking equitable steps to dismantle them will have economic advantages. 

Unaffordable childcare: Lack of affordable childcare is keeping women out of the workforce. Less women in paid positions means less economic growth. Quebec has taken the lead on tackling the problem of unaffordable childcare, and its women’s employment rates show for it. A 2024 Desjardins report estimates that if the rest of Canada implemented similar subsidized childcare and caught up to Quebec’s women’s employment rate (89 per cent) by 2030, 350,000 jobs could be added, and the national GDP could increase by 1.5 per cent.  

The wage gap: Women make 84 cents for every dollar a man makes, which is actually costing the government a lot more than we might think. When the wage gap closes, household incomes increase, boosting the economy and decreasing government spending on assistance, credits and benefits.  

Unequal representation in leadership: Studies have shown there’s an increase in profit when more women take on leadership roles. Diversity in boards leads to a variety in management skills, solutions and decision-making, upping the chances for increased profit. Amplifying women’s workplace advancement opportunities is a key to economic growth: a Peterson Institute for International Economics study found that a shift from no female leaders to 30 per cent representation leads to a 15 per cent increase in company profit. 

Equity in the workplace is not just good for women; it’s good for everyone. It’s a business case with proven economic advantages. At Axis, we’re committed to helping more professional women advance in the workplace for a more equitable and economical future.  

Become an Axis member today. 

*International Monetary Fund 2017 Working Paper: Women are Key for Future Growth: Evidence from Canada 

As we look back on 2024, a year of growth, connection and championing women at work, we’re instilled with a sense of excitement and hope as we enter the new year.

This last year, the Axis Connects community grew by 35 per cent, with 5,453 individuals now part of our community. We hosted more than 20 annual events, networking opportunities, dialogue series and other initiatives, and the community responded well. Our events saw over 3,000 attendees.

Our growing circle is a testimony to the demand for community and connection for mid-to senior-level professional women and the promotion of gender equity at work. Here’s a look at what we did in 2024 to help answer this call.

Our key events

Our fifth annual Calgary Influential Women in Business Awards saw its largest audience. Thirteen hundred people gathered to celebrate the six honourees doing impactful work advancing gender diversity. We are thrilled to continue celebrating community champions.

Our third Axis Connects Leadership Forum was a success, welcoming over 600 leaders from across the country. This number demonstrates 50 per cent growth in attendance year over year, which excites us for the coming years. We welcomed Stephen J. Harper as a keynote speaker and an incredible roster of industry leaders.

Building networks

Our Career Development Dialogues series continued strong, with five events helping educate and empower over 500 participants. We hosted 11 “Lunch with a Leader” events and gathered for Stampede, holiday and roundtable networking initiatives.

Board Ready Women

Board Ready Women continues to create opportunities for women on boards, and we’re delighted to say Alberta’s female board representation is growing. And so is Board Ready Women. It welcomed 306 new members this year. Its membership now reflects women from five different countries.

As we enter 2025, we’re excited and hopeful for new connections with like-minded people and more opportunities to uplift one another.

Don’t miss our upcoming 2025 events; become a member today.

We hope to see you in the New Year!