from the industry: canadian women are not ok this international women's day

there’s a covid-sized cloud hanging over this year’s international women’s day . it’s supposed to be a global day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. we do have much to celebrate, but there’s no denying that canadian women have taken some major steps backwards over the course of the covid-19 pandemic.  

canada prides itself on being a world leader in gender equality, health care, and overall quality of life. so it might seem shocking to find that canada ranks just 43 out of 116 countries and territories when it comes to the health and wellbeing of women and girls. the reality is that we have been failing on key metrics that were apparent before the pandemic, and thrown into sharp relief when covid hit.    

hologic, a leading provider of women’s health screening and diagnostics, has partnered with the gallup world poll to create the  hologic global women’s health index , a survey that represents the feelings and actions of approximately 2.5 billion women and girls globally. its findings are based on the experiences of more than 60,000 women and girls, captured in more than 140 languages.  

we’re still not doing enough

when it comes to women’s health in canada, we’re still not doing nearly enough. canada’s ranking in the index reflects that women across our country feel they are faring worse on several key metrics of health and wellbeing, namely domestic violence, mental health, and cancer screenings.   

it’s a sobering fact that the index found that 81 per cent of women say domestic violence is a problem compared to 58 per cent of men in canada, and compared to 66 per cent of women globally. reports of domestic violence in canada doubled during covid . as the hub for sexual assault and domestic violence in ontario, women’s college hospital saw numbers skyrocket throughout the pandemic. this was while all doors were being closed, meaning victims could no longer walk in and organizations could not afford more staff to take calls and help women find ways to be safe. women were trapped in their homes and with their abusers for months on end with nowhere to turn.    

here’s what margaret eaton, national ceo of the canadian mental health association had to say about the state of mental health: “at the canadian mental health association, we’ve seen almost everyone’s mental health get strained during the pandemic, but we are seeing that women are worse off than men. according to our latest survey with ubc, 41 per cent of women saw a decline in their mental health since the onset of the pandemic, compared to 31 per cent of men. women have shouldered more of the family responsibilities during the pandemic, and they also make up most of the health care and social assistance workforce in canada, which have been disproportionally impacted during this really stressful time.”

an epidemic of missed screenings 

there is also an epidemic of missed screenings that has been exacerbated by the covid-19 pandemic. black, indigenous and women of colour, as well as newcomers and women from lower socioeconomic backgrounds were already less likely to attend screenings before the pandemic, and now that gap has widened even further. only one in four canadian women aged 50 to 74 say they have been tested for cancer in the past year — lower than the 33 to 50 per cent range that would be expected if all women in this age range adhered to the national guidelines for breast and cervical cancer screenings every two to three years. health-care professionals are rightly worried that we will see an epidemic of late-stage cancers due to years of missed screenings.  

here’s what donna sheehan, founder and executive director of the breast cancer support fund , a national charity providing financial assistance to breast cancer patients, had to say about screenings: “as a four-time breast cancer survivor, i know first-hand that women need to stay on top of their cancer screenings. research clearly indicates that finding cancer in the earliest stage saves lives so, i think we can acknowledge that the backlog in screening and delays in surgeries has likely cost lives. addressing the backlog in diagnostic testing and cancelled surgeries will place additional strain on a health care system that has been under a good deal of stress during the pandemic. our health care system will need to find efficiencies and re-allocate funds to the areas that will provide better patient outcomes and patients will need to advocate for themselves to access the testing and treatment they need.”

the pandemic has amplified many of the issues facing women in our country. but these problems existed before the pandemic and will continue to persist into the future if we don’t make concentrated efforts to address them. study after study shows that as goes women’s health and wellbeing, so goes our economies, our societies, and our families.