Thank you very much.
Good afternoon. My name is Andréa Szafran. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak to you today.
I'm pleased to have the opportunity to talk to you today and to share the issues that are close to my heart.
I am proud to live in a country that takes gender equality in cabinet seriously and that strives to change the status quo. However, there is still a large gap between where we are now and where we need to be in terms of equality in positions of leadership.
We currently have women now accounting for 26% of the seats in the House of Commons federally. Canada is actually in 62nd place as of 2019 for international ranking of the percentage of women in Parliament, and many stereotypes and barriers still exist for women in politics and other leadership roles.
As of 2018, women occupying top corporate jobs were still under 10%. This isn't the only place where women are under-represented in leadership roles. Fewer women graduate and work in STEM—science, technology, engineering and math—and they have a higher unemployment rate in these fields than male counterparts.
As a young woman studying health sciences, I often feel that I have to justify my choice of university program and have even been asked why I hadn't chosen a subject that would be more appropriate for a female, whatever that means.
With this kind of mindset and culture, it is evident that we need to continue to move forward, breaking down barriers and asking why women aren't at the table. In cases where women are at the table, perhaps we need to look at which women are still missing from this conversation.
I want to use my time today as a point of advocacy, activism and encouragement to young women to live their passions and to take challenges as opportunities, because ultimately, it will be young women today who will need to shift our current societal culture to the more gender-inclusive, equal and fair place where we all desire it to be.
The conversation inevitably follows of what you can do as the finance committee and as members of Parliament to encourage women, invest in women and support women. Continue to allocate resources to programs that give women the chance to obtain roles in their respective fields; fund to help continue to promote gender equality; and of course, use your voice on the Hill and in your ridings to mentor and encourage young women to participate.
I want to remind the committee that, when we invest in women, we prosper. More women in the workforce means more economic growth. More female involvement creates gender diversity in all fields. It promotes peace. And of course, investing in women promotes limitless possibilities.
Thank you.