Island women celebrated their achievements and called for a better future on Friday during an International Women’s Day event at Trinity United Church in Charlottetown.
In between, they — along with a few men — took part in an Indigenous friendship dance, chair yoga and Irish country dancing.
Farahnaz Rezaei was the event’s emcee and said equality results in better creativity, success and vision.
“It’s definitely a time to reflect on the progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries, communities and villages around the world,” she said.
The crowd heard from several women about how they’ve overcome challenges in their lives.
Jenna MacNeill, a trades worker who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, spoke about her struggles.
A couple of years ago, MacNeill didn’t have a stable job or home life, she said.
Then she went through the Women’s Network P.E.I. program called Trade HERizons, which led to taking the heritage retrofit carpentry program at Holland College.
She was the only woman from her class to be hired for renovation work at Province House, spending a year and nine months there before her diagnosis.
“That’s a pretty big bump in my road right now. Going through treatment is pretty tough.”
The struggles of female migrants were also highlighted.
“I’m not afraid of the storm, for I’m learning how to sail my ship,” Rezaei said of the challenges faced by many women new to Canada.
Status of Women Minister Paula Biggar said females are also more likely to face criticism when they speak up.
“As women leaders, the more we raise our voice, the more we’re heard and we should not be afraid to do that.”
Meanwhile, underrepresentation in politics is one of the biggest issues holding women back from further progress, said a local advocate.
Jillian Kilfoil pointed out P.E.I. has no female MPs, one female senator and only 18 per cent of MLAs are women.
“Those institutions that were designed before (women) were considered people still don’t know how to actually represent diverse populations. I think to move forward on a lot of challenges, we first need more women elected in government,” said Kilfoil, who is also executive director of Women’s Network P.E.I.
It’s tougher for women to enter politics, Kilfoil said, because they earn less than what men do for similar work, do more unpaid work like caretaking and are more likely to have experienced violence.
“So it is hard to create the change because it is one of those chicken and egg scenarios,” she said.
She added it was encouraging to see new faces and men taking part in the event, put on by the P.E.I. Advisory Council on the Status of Women.
“There’s a lot to celebrate and a lot of things we still have to work on.”
