The P.E.I. Advisory Council on the Status of Women has released a new report to coincide with Women’s History Month in Canada.
The report, titled Gender and COVID-19 in Prince Edward Island: In the Words of Women-Identifying Islanders, March to July 2020, features stories, recommendation and analysis from more than 20 participating women.
“So often, the voices of women and marginalized groups are hard to hear in history. It is hard to find us in the archives," said Debbie Langston, advisory council chairperson, about the goal behind the report.
Starting in the spring, council members set a priority on sharing their stories about living through the COVID-19 pandemic. A later call from the Public Archives and Records Office for people to submit their own stories cemented the council’s commitment to putting something in writing.
The report features interviews with each of the nine currently appointed members of the Advisory Council on the Status of Women and a summary of themes from a roundtable with council members and staff that also includes points of view from interviews with nine past council chairpersons.
It also highlights policy insights from the discussions, which were submitted to the Premier’s Council for Recovery and Growth and the minister responsible for the Status of Women in September.
As much as the report is for history, it was important the report influence current decision-making, said Langston.
“Participant after participant in this project observed ways women are bearing the brunt of the health and economic effects of COVID-19. They also identified the ways the pandemic has shed light on not just gender inequality, but racial and economic inequality.”
The report is now available for download at peistatusofwomen.ca. For more information, call 902-368-4510.
