My time with the Together Against Poverty Society began when I was introduced to it while I was taking my social justice studies diploma at the University of Victoria. There was a practicum element, so I decided to be part of Together Against Poverty Society as a disability advocate. While part of this organization, I've seen how the various offerings of TAPS really support women, for example, their legal services.
Often when we talk about women's employment standards, we talk about the fact that there is a gender wage gap. I think this is where we're able to tackle at a systemic level women living in poverty and the fact that women are more likely to experience sexual misconduct in the workplace. TAPS is there to support these women in filing grievances, trying to figure out what their rights are, and coming forward, which I think is really important.
As for the gender wage gap in Canada, we know that women make 31% less than men. We know that it's estimated that 10% to 15% of the difference in what women are making in the workplace is based on gender-based discrimination that we can account for.
My time at TAPS has solidified my view of the fact that there are huge issues in our society and that women are overrepresented among people in Canada living in poverty. This is even more so for indigenous women and racialized women. Again, this is an organization that's understaffed, underfunded and that, unfortunately, needs to exist because of the gaps currently in government policy and the way it is implemented.