Windsor has 1 female city councillor. Here's why some say more women need a seat
CBC
Even though 13 women ran for a seat on Windsor's city council this year, only one was elected — an outcome that some women say isn't good enough.
In 2003, the city of Windsor had three female councillors. But, since then, female representation on city council has dwindled, with two women sitting on council between 2006 and 2018. For the last four years, Ward 6 councillor Jo-Anne Gignac has been the only woman.
Gignac did not respond to a request for comment.
"I think the way the world is going we're seeing more female representation, so it's a little bit upsetting to see Windsor sort of going backwards on that," said Iman Berry, a political science major who has lived in LaSalle and Windsor.
She said that women make up roughly 50 per cent of Windsor's population and to know that half of the region's needs might be unmet is not a "bright outlook."
According to the Canadian Women's Foundation, there are several barriers that keep women from leadership roles, including stereotypes and bias about a woman's leadership abilities, systemic sexism and discrimination, fewer opportunities to network, domestic duties and lack of accessible and affordable childcare.
Essex County had different outcome than Windsor. Four women were elected as mayors and 14 were elected as councillors.
In an interview with CBC Radio's Windsor Morning, Essex mayor-elect Sherry Bondy said that during her campaign she faced "quite a bit of sexism and derogatory comments."
"Women, I believe, are picked on a little bit more when they run, you know strong women are scary to some and we need to break those barriers so women feel comfortable running and some of them have seen what some of us go through so they're like 'yeah we're not doing that,'" said Bondy.
She said she's hopeful women will be inspired and more comfortable to run following this election.
One of the unsuccessful female candidates this election campaign was Gemma Grey-Hall, who was running for Ward 8. Grey-Hall has campaigned in two other political elections, one was Windsor's last municipal election in 2018 and the other was for the provincial election earlier this year.
"We have several committees and boards within the city. I think it's really important for those particular organizations to ask themselves as they look across that board table, where's the diversity? If they're not seeing it [and] where's the female representatives? and asking themselves what they're doing to encourage that," she said.
Hannah Ruuth, who sat on Tecumseh's Youth Advisory Council, said involving women in other leadership roles across the city will help them also get on council.
"These [roles] are viewed as traditionally pathway positions to city council or other elected representatives in the area and if we don't have that representation, I'm worried that the city won't make progress," she said.
