International Women’s Day | Six ways to improve the lives of Quebec women

“How can we improve the lives of women in 2022? “, asked The Press to six Quebecers from various backgrounds. Simple daily gesture or ambitious project requiring government investment, here are their suggestions.

Veronique Larocque
The Press

Reaching out to women to get involved in politics

Catherine Fournier, Mayor of Longueuil

“As mayoress of Longueuil and as leader of a political party that campaigned last year, the gesture that I would like to highlight is that of giving women in politics their rightful place,” begins Catherine Fournier. .

How? ‘Or’ What ? By simply reaching out to them, replies the mayoress of Longueuil.

“When I set up Coalition Longueuil, for me, it was a condition sine qua non to present a joint team”, she says.

To those who say that women are less interested in politics, she replies that this is false. “The difference is that they are not the ones who will approach us. Unlike men who will come to politics, politics must come to women. There are not yet enough models for it to be a reflex for them, ”believes Catherine Fournier.

Light up dark city streets

Martine Delvaux, essayist and professor of literature at UQAM

“The list would be really long,” replies Martine Delvaux when asked about a way to improve the lives of women in 2022. After a moment of reflection, she suggests a claim already made in the past, especially in the 1960s and 1970: the streets should be well lit at night. “I would like us to go around the urban place that is Montreal and all the cities of Quebec, Canada, even the world, to make sure that women are safe. “Not just women, but everyone who feels in danger, she says.

It’s not normal to be afraid to walk outside at night, argues Martine Delvaux.

To improve women’s safety, she also suggests setting up lookouts in the metro late at night. “It’s all well and good, they watch after classes […]but they don’t watch when it’s late at night and a girl is alone in the car,” she says.

Write a message to an inspiring woman

Habi Gerba, entrepreneur, president of Gazelles and president of the Junior Chamber of Commerce of Montreal

There are simple gestures that bring great good. The action proposed by the designer Habi Gerba, president of Gazelles, is in line with this line.

For the past year, she has been receiving business women from Quebec as part of her podcast Dare. Habi Gerba admits to being surprised that these women doubt the relevance of talking about their background. “I think they minimize the impact their story can have on others,” she says.

Since she made this observation, the entrepreneur has invited her listeners to write to the guests when they are touched by their comments.

“I find it moving when business women write to me again to tell me that they have never received such a big wave of love and that it gives them even more confidence and the desire to continue. Even when you become the CEO of a large organization, I think you always want to feel that you are a game changer and that you can inspire the next generation. »

Offer free therapeutic support to victims of sexual assault who do not wish to file a complaint

Léa Clermont-Dion, author and documentary filmmaker

“I dream that all victims of sexual assault who do not wish to file a complaint and who want to have therapeutic support can obtain it, without going through the immense monster of the IVAC [Indemnisation des victimes d’actes criminels] “, answers Léa Clermont-Dion. “Without any demonstration of proof”, specifies the one behind the documentary You just have to complain.

According to her, “filing a complaint in the justice system as it currently is is not an option that is possible for everyone”. In his eyes, we must not let these women down. Many of them need support. “I think it can have a liberating and restorative effect. »

She admits that her proposal is expensive, but so are the lawsuits. “This is a public health issue that concerns us all. […] It is more expensive for our society to send all these victims to the justice system, ”she believes.

Listen and believe women

Mélanie Ederer, President of the Federation of Quebec Women (FFQ)

Mélanie Ederer proposes two seemingly simple actions: listening to and believing women. “Until we listen to and believe women, how do we implement changes that actually work for them? she asks.

The president of the FFQ has many examples of situations where women are neither listened to nor believed, both individually and in society.

In her eyes, it is essential to believe women when they open up about the difficulties they encounter. “For example, when we say that such a policy has an impact on our access to work, I am thinking, among other things, of women who wear the veil. »

For governments, Mélanie Ederer suggests a third action: invest. According to her, they must “listen to women in order to invest in the right places to make changes that really have an impact. »

Offer perinatal psychology services to new mothers

Lory Zephir, psychologist and co-founder of Ça va Maman

“We must support maternal mental health in concrete terms and have government measures in this direction,” believes psychologist Lory Zephir, who points out that hospitals do not even have perinatal psychology services for women who give birth there. Access to these services is often limited to mothers with a history of mental health issues or who are in distress, she says.

According to Lory Zephir, mental health needs among new mothers were present before the pandemic, but they have increased in the past two years.

“Clinically, especially for new mothers, I noticed that the mothers were very anxious, in depressive symptoms, in general worry about motherhood. Experiencing maternity is something in itself; living it in a pandemic is a whole different matter, ”she says.