CANCELLED: Closing the Gender Gap: Addressing Inequality through Policy Change

Thursday, March 12, 2020 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM EDT (UTC–04:00)

Public Event: Community Event

Speakers:

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Display of gender equality concept through signage (Shutterstock)

**Following increased concerns about the COVID-19 virus, the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) has decided to cancel this event. All other CIGI-hosted events are similarly canceled through April. A decision to reopen events will be made with the health and well-being of our speakers, staff and guests as a first priority.

If you have any questions please contact Andrea Harding at [email protected]**

All over the world, women face barriers of all kinds to equality, many institutional in nature.

According to a 2018 study by Statistics Canada, women in Canada still earn on average over 13% less than their male counterparts, and globally, that figure is closer to 23%. The World Bank estimates that globally, women are on average only afforded about 75% of the same legal rights as men. UNESCO estimates place the number of girls out of school to be 130 million, for reasons ranging from poverty to child marriage, which contributes to massive gender disparity in education levels.

The roots of these imbalances, by and large, stem from policies that inherently discriminate against women. As a result, sweeping systematic changes in policy are needed in order to address, and ultimately stop the gender gap.

In partnership with Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation and KPMG, CIGI is thrilled to host an International Women’s Day panel featuring experts from a broad range of professions working to address these issues from both practical and policy-based initiatives.

**Please refer to the Government of Canada website for additional information on COVID-19 prevention and risks.**

Event Speakers

Lori Campbell

Lori is 2-Spirited nēhiyaw āpihtākosisān with family roots at mōniyawi-sākahikanihk, Treaty 6 territory in kīwētinohk kisiskāciwan. She is an intergenerational survivor of the Indian Residential School system and a child from the Sixties Scoop generation.Over a span of 25 years she managed to locate and contact not only her birth mom, but all 6 of her living siblings who were scattered across several provinces. Lori has made it her career advocating for social justice and working towards a more equitable society for all. She started out working with at-risk youth, later in the area of Indigenous public housing, and then became a victim services resource officer before moving into post-secondary. Most recently, she was a federal candidate in the 2019 election. Now, with over 13 years of progressive leadership with contributions in student services, academics, research and administration, Lori is an experienced leader in education with a proven track record particularly in advancing processes of Indigenization, reconciliation, and decolonization and speaks nationally and internationally on these topics. Lori holds two undergraduate degrees (Indigenous Studies and Psychology), a master’s degree in Adult Education and is working towards a PhD in Social Justice Education. She currently holds the position of Director, Shatitsirótha’ Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre at St. Paul’s University College.

Carinne Chambers-Saini

Carinne Chambers-Saini has followed a 15-year journey to create and market the revolutionary product and brand, DivaCup.

Sarah Shoker

Sarah Shoker is the founder and CEO of Glassbox, a consultancy firm that trains software development and legal teams to identify how choices made along the technical pipeline can translate into bias.

Jess Tomlin

Jess Tomlin is co-CEO of the Equality Fund (formerly president and CEO of The MATCH International Women’s Fund).