Queen's University law professor Kathleen Lahey is available to discuss the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day which takes place on March 8, and is being celebrated throughout the week.
“Canada was once the unrivalled world leader in promoting women's equality. But particularly in the last five years, women now find themselves losing ground at an accelerating pace right here in Canada. The last time the wage gap faced by women who work full time was this big was in the late 1980s, despite the fact that more women than ever are engaged in some form of paid work,” says Professor Lahey. “And the growing wage gap faced by women with university degrees is of particular concern. These serious reversals are the result of years of policies that undercut women's equality rights and economic security.”
Professor Lahey just returned from speaking to these issues during the United Nation's 55th session of the Committee on the Status of Women in New York City, where she observed that once again, the Canadian Minister for Women presented a "highly misleading" picture to the UN of what the Canadian government is actually doing to meet women's economic and social needs in the wake of the 2008 global economic crisis.
Professor Lahey specializes in sex equality and has been involved in equality cases brought under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. She is the author of several books, including Women and Employment: Removing Fiscal Barriers to Women's Labour Force Participation and The Taxation of Women.
To arrange an interview, please contact communication officers Michael Onesi at 613.533.6000 ext. 77513 or michael.onesi@queensu.ca or Christina Archibald at 613-533-2877 or Christina.Archibald@queensu.ca at Queen’s University News and Media Services Department in Kingston, Ont., Canada.
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