Thank you for the question.
Indeed, GBA+ is very important, because it is the lens through which we can see the effects that programs have on men, women, young people, older people, racialized people, etc. Without this lens, it looks like they are homogeneous groups. We are acting in good faith and putting programs in place thinking that this will help everyone, but it is not at all the case. It can only perpetuate exclusions. I think the other witnesses have mentioned that. So GBA+ is an essential tool, among others, that allows us to see the inequalities and avoid perpetuating them.
As for women's invisible work, this is a long-term battle, unfortunately. Society has not adapted. We have allowed women to study and to enter the labour market, but we have not adapted to their reality. The reality for women is that we wear many more hats than men, in general. Although there are also men who are family caregivers, it is a predominantly female role. Women play the role of cook, educator, mother, daughter, caregiver, and so on. At some point, they wear too many hats. So women turn to coping strategies, such as alcohol, drugs or medication. Sometimes this can go as far as suicide. All hats worn by women are considered natural, but they are not so natural. In reality, it is a social division of things. Until we make all these hats visible, we won't realize the weight that these young women have on their shoulders.
There is also the whole pressure of body image and hypersexualization, among others. We don't see it, but young women and girls are under a lot of pressure and suffer a lot. Until we have a gender-based analysis, we won't see it. We need this lens.