January 25, 2019
At Edmonton City Hall on Friday, Mayor Don Iveson and Ward 2 Councillor Bev Esslinger joined members of the Women’s Advocacy Voice of Edmonton (WAVE) to release the results of the second
Edmonton Women’s Quality of Life Scorecard
.
“By looking at data in five key areas, we have a better understanding of the challenges and experiences of women in our city,” said Councillor Esslinger, who co-chairs the Women’s Initiative with the mayor. “This helps us identify where further work and initiatives are needed to help improve the quality of life for women.”
The scorecard was developed as part of the Council’s Women’s Initiative. The first scorecard, in January 2017, set benchmarks to track changes over time. After two years progress appears mixed, with improvements in some areas, little change in others, and ongoing areas of concern.
“It’s good to see more women running for public office and getting elected, and we’re close to parity now in gender representation on City of Edmonton agencies, boards and committees,” said Mayor Iveson. “Clearly, we still have work to do in gender-based violence prevention.”
Similar to the first scorecard, the recent analysis found that Edmonton women are above or on par with Canadian women in three indicators: finance and economy, education, and health and wellness. In areas of safety, along with leadership, political empowerment and participation, Edmonton ranks lower than other provinces and the nation as a whole.
“We know there is still work to do,” said Sandra Woitas, Chair of WAVE. “Based on the trends we’re seeing, we will continue working to improve gender equality and the quality of life for women in Edmonton.”
