International Women’s Day 2025: Accelerating Action for Gender Equality

March 8th is International Women’s Day, a time to celebrate the achievements of women and gender-diverse people and push for gender equality. This year’s theme, #AccelerateAction, calls for urgency. At the current pace, it will take until 2158 to achieve complete gender parity. That’s far too long! Progress has been made thanks to generations of activists, but there is still much more to be done. Women still face wage gaps, barriers to leadership positions, and systemic discrimination.

The Evolution of Feminism in Canada

Feminism in Canada has come a long way, evolving through different waves to address shifting social and political challenges. The first wave of the feminist movement, from the 19th to the early 20th century, fought for legal rights, particularly suffrage—the right to vote in public elections. Groups like the National Council of Women of Canada led these efforts. However, these movements often centred on white, middle-class women and excluded Indigenous, Black, and working-class women’s voices.

Among those who defied this exclusion was Mary Ann Shadd Cary, a Black abolitionist and one of North America’s first female publishers. Through her newspaper, she championed women’s suffrage and racial justice, pushing against the dominant feminist narratives that sidelined racialized women. Similarly, E. Pauline Johnson, a Mohawk-English poet and performer, used her platform to highlight Indigenous identity and challenge societal expectations. Though she did not publicly support suffrage, her work questioned the narrow scope of feminism at the time.

The Persons Case of 1929 marked a turning point when women won the right to be recognized as “persons” under Canadian law. This victory allowed women to hold public office, proving that legal recognition was a crucial step toward equality.

The Second Wave: Expanding the Fight for Equality

The second wave of feminism, from the 1960s to the 1980s, expanded the focus to workplace discrimination, reproductive rights, and gender representation. The Royal Commission on the Status of Women (1967) pushed for policies like pay equity and maternity leave, but gaps remained. Racialized and Indigenous women fought on their own fronts, addressing forced sterilization and systemic discrimination, as seen in groups like the Native Women’s Association of Canada. Many Indigenous women resisted patriarchal policies in their communities while also fighting government-imposed discrimination, such as the loss of Indian Status for women who married non-Indigenous men. Their activism led to the eventual amendment of the Indian Act through Bill C-31 in 1985, restoring status to thousands of Indigenous women.

The Third and Fourth Waves: Intersectionality and Digital Activism

From the late 1980s onward, the third or fourth wave of feminism in Canada started embracing intersectionality, acknowledging how race, class, and sexuality shape oppression. It also addressed issues like sexual harassment, media representation, and LGBTQ2S+ rights. The Idle No More movement, led by three Indigenous women and one white ally, used round dances, teach-ins, and social media activism and called for Indigenous rights, self-determination, environmental justice, and an end to colonial policies. Online platforms have led to digital activism and have amplified the voices of marginalized communities, bringing attention to issues like gender-based violence, workplace inequality, and reproductive justice. 

Criticisms remain that mainstream feminism still prioritizes white, middle-class perspectives, often failing to address the urgent issues faced by marginalized communities. The Canadian feminist movement has still largely been silent on issues like the forced sterilization of Black and Indigenous women and murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls. 

The Fight Continues

Despite progress, Canada still ranks 36th in gender equality worldwide. The wage gap persists, with women earning 17.1% less than men, and only 35.5% of board positions are held by women. Gender-based violence remains a crisis, disproportionately affecting Indigenous and racialized women.

We owe our present freedoms to the relentless struggles of those who came before us, but the journey is far from complete. It is our responsibility to carry their work forward. Feminism in Canada must not only recognize past victories but also confront the injustices that persist today. 

How You Can #AccelerateAction

Change happens when individuals take action. As students, we have the power to help accelerate gender equality in meaningful ways. Whether participating in IWD Events, supporting IWD Giving, using your voice to call out stereotypes, or educating yourself on gender issues, every effort counts and can make a real impact. This International Women’s Day, let’s move beyond conversation and commit to real action. Together, we can accelerate change, break barriers, and create a more inclusive future for all!