To achieve gender equality and equality and empower all women and girls.
Goal 5 aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.
Taking Action
Initiatives at Brock University
Gender equality is very important to Brock University. Starting in 2020 Brock hosted an event to encourage and inspire young girls and women to pursue careers in sciences, technology engineering and math.
Brock Women in Leadership group
Women supporting other women in various leadership positions helping future women leaders through focussing on increasing and improving opportunities for leadership roles for women.
Brock Hosts Gender Equality Event
Brock hopes to help encourage women and girls of all ages to pursue careers in STEM. They focus on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA).
Sport Helps Everyone Make Allies (SHEMA)
A new student lead group, SHEMA, looks to empower women and diverse social groups through the sports industry. They promote inclusive, accepting, and supportive environment in the Sport Management Program at Brock.
Free Access to Menstrual Products on Campus
Menstruation is something that people born with a uterus have to deal with that causes an additional strain on finances, with the high costs of menstrual products such as tampons, pads, menstrual cups etc. can be a burden that some cannot afford. As it is something that half of the population has to deal with for the majority of their lives it is unfair that these products are high in prices as people do not choose to menstruate, it is simply something that occurs if you have a uterus.
To help combat these prices Brock has implemented some resources to help, as part of a pilot program Brock has recently installed free menstrual products vending machines in bathrooms for those who identify as female, male, and a gender-neutral bathroom. This ensure that students, staff, and all visitors have access to free products when needed.
Women in STEM Event
A panel of women shared their experiences over a weeklong event in Feb. 2023 to encourage women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math. The women in STEM event was open to the public attendees were able to discover where the women are now, challenges they faced, and opportunities they experienced.
Brock’s Canada Research Chairs: Women Representatives
Brock is delighted to have five Canada Research Chairs represented by women. There are only ten active CRCs in total, making Brock above the CRCP national average of 44.3%.
THE IMPACT RANKINGS
As part of Brock’s 2022 submission to THE Impact Rankings, we shared information on how the university is working toward achieving gender equality. This information ranked us in the top 200 of over 930 institutions around the world and gave us a score of 61.6/100.
Some key information we summitted includes:
- Brock has a mentoring program called Women in Leadership designed to support women in formal and informal leadership positions and encourage the next generation of female leaders.
- Brock offers scholarships specifically for women including the Marion and Ren Henderson Scholarship, which is awarded to a female student entering university with high academic achievement and the CFUW St. Catharines Scholarship, which is awarded to a first-generation undergraduate female student who demonstrates academic excellence.
- Brock offers a program called Scientifically Yours, which is a two-day residential workshop designed to encourage young people in Grades 10 and 11 to continue their studies in the sciences and to pursue careers in science-related fields. The program promotes females in STEM.
Initiatives in the Niagara Region
Niagara Region Forms Women’s Advisory Committee
A unanimous vote supported the formation of a women’s advisory committee, to advocate for gender equity and gender-based resolutions. The committee is an opportunity to show leadership in Niagara for all women.
Solidarité des femmes et familles immigrantes francophones du Niagara (SOFIFRAN)
SOFIFRAN is a project designed to help with the social and economic combination of francophone women immigrants in the Niagara Region. It is a 36-month project, where work with child care services, school boards, city councils, transportation companies, and others will establish a model to address the barriers francophone immigrant women face to employment.
Period promise initiative
The Period Promise initiative by United Way mobilizes citizens to be a part of the solution for those who are living in poverty or are vulnerable in other ways and for whom access to tampons, pads or cups is challenging.
Individual Actions
If you wish to help by volunteering, there are some great opportunities where you can help make a change such as:
- Big Brothers/Big Sisters mentoring program provides girls and young women with a role model to talk to and share the experiences of growing up with.
- Canadian Federation of University Women, a local, provincial, national, and international organization of women. A non-profit group who are committed to the: pursuit of knowledge, promotion of education, and the improvement of the status of women and their human rights.
- Encourage gender training and education at your company.
- Represent gender equality in your home.
- Look to and support women leaders.
- Stand up for woman rights.
- Let media outlets know it is not alright to portray women as inferior, less intelligent or incompetent compared to males.
- Increase female leadership roles in the workplace.
- Encourage scholarships for girls to attend school, especially those in science, technology, and engineering.
- Set a good example to youth and ensure you use equal decision making skills.
