Unfortunately, the scorecard reads like a horror show. In Canada, women's wages still hover around 72 cents for every dollar a man earns. And yet, last year, after 15 years of struggle, female public workers at the federal level, finally won their battle for pay equity. And women's poverty has been increasing. It is appalling in a country like ours, so rich with resources, that we cannot turn the tide on poverty and the social and health ills it causes.
Women are also the prime targets for violence and rape.
Indeed, one out of every four women is or has been abused by a spouse in Canada, according to a 1993 Statistics Canada survey. These figures speak to huge power imbalances in our system. They point to misogyny at the core of our society. But there can be no tolerance of violence against women and children. The enormous financial consequences of leaving a violent spouse, especially given government cuts and ongoing systemic discrimination, trap many women in abusive homes.