International Women’s Day 2025: The Fight for Equality Continues

On International Women’s Day, we honour the achievements of women while also confronting the gender inequality and misogyny that persist in our society.

Did you know that a woman is killed by a man every other day in Canada? (https://femicideincanada.ca/).

It sounds impossible, but it’s true. Femicide is a global crisis, and no country is free from it.

Inequality and violence against women are rooted in power imbalances, misogyny, patriarchal structures, and systemic discrimination. These injustices intensify when women are also Indigenous, Black, racialized, LGBTQ+, disabled, or immigrants. This intersectionality means that their lived experiences are shaped by multiple layers of oppression—fewer opportunities, greater economic hardship, and heightened exposure to violence.

As we watch abortion rights being stripped away in the U.S., we must stay vigilant and fight for women's rights here in Canada.

Canadian Women Who Made History

Despite countless barriers, many women in Canada have left their mark. Their legacies inspire us to keep pushing for justice:

• Nellie McClung – A suffragette who led the fight for women’s voting rights in Manitoba in 1916.
  
  
• Viola Desmond – A Black Nova Scotian businesswoman who defied segregation and now appears on the $10 bill.
  
  
• Irene Ayako Uchida – A geneticist who helped uncover the link between radiation exposure and chromosomal abnormalities.
  
  
• Hayley Wickenheiser – A six-time Olympian and one of the greatest women’s hockey players of all time.
  
  
• Christine Sinclair – Canada’s most decorated soccer player and an advocate for equal pay in sports.
  
  
• Beverley Jacobs – A Mohawk lawyer and activist who has been a leading voice in the fight for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG).

CUPW: Fighting for Gender Justice

At CUPW, women’s rights are a priority. Most of our elected Executive Officers are women, and we continue to push for fair wages, safe workplaces, and equity in all aspects of society.

We know that gender justice isn’t given—it’s won. As a union, we will keep negotiating, organizing, educating, and mobilizing until we achieve full equality for all women and gender-diverse people.

Solidarity today and every day.✊ ️