This text is part of the special International Women’s Day booklet
For International Women’s Day, the March 8 Collective has chosen the theme “The future is feminist”. An expression that invites us to look forward, without forgetting the actions and commitments anchored in the present moment.
The Collectif 8 mars brings together several union and feminist organizations. For its spokesperson, also president of the Fédération des femmes du Québec (FFQ), Mélanie Ederer, this future feminist will only be possible if it is approached at the crossroads of other social struggles. “There are crises at the moment exacerbated by the pandemic, crises that will continue to happen. And to be able to deal with the emergency and the real situations that people live every day, the future must be feminist, inclusive and ecological. »
Behind this slogan, we find a visual identity signed by the illustrator Stacy Bellanger Bien-Aimé. We observe a pair of hands cupping a wreath of flowers whose base is placed on the horizon of a road. According to Mélanie Ederer, this hopeful image is a call for solidarity. “The purpose of this image is to show that we must converge our efforts to achieve a just feminist society,” she explains. By joining our hands, we show that the resistance of women has existed for a long time, that there is ancestral knowledge to perpetuate. »
Towards economic autonomy
The pandemic and its disastrous consequences for women continue to concern the members of the Collectif 8 mars, which represents 700,000 of them in Quebec. “There is an increase in impoverishment among women, says Mélanie Ederer. They occupy the most precarious jobs, the least paid and the most risky. In 2021, Statistics Canada revealed that women were more affected by job losses due to the pandemic. From March 2020 to February 2021, they accounted for 53.7% of job losses year over year.
Moreover, the Collective’s demands revolve around a fight for equitable access to public services. “The work-family-study balance is a concern we have, says Mélanie Ederer. For example, access to daycare is really a central issue this year and we know that this affects women more than men. In response to this shortage of childcare spaces, the Ma place au travail (MPAT) movement, an initiative of Bas-Saint-Laurent resident Myriam Lapointe-Gagnon, emerged on social media in March 2021 and joined a large number of parents across the province. It demanded, among other things, that access to daycare centers become a right in Quebec, which was not retained in the bill to amend the Educational Childcare Services Act presented by the CAQ government (bill notoh 1).
momentum electoral
“What we are asking for are profound changes, whether social, economic, cultural and political,” says the president of the FFQ. For the future to be feminist, it cannot be the status quo. We need changes that recognize that women have plural, diverse voices and experiences, that there are intersecting oppressions. Real, concrete changes are needed to meet the needs of women and to respect their dignity. »
These demands will have the opportunity to be heard during a virtual debate planned by the Collective with the main parties on March 8, according to the spokesperson. The debate will be broadcast on Facebook and YouTube. “We want to know concretely how the different parties position themselves in relation to the issues that affect women,” says Mélanie Ederer. It will also allow women to know the positions of the parties and to learn about their commitments. »
For the spokesperson for the collective, this symbolic day still has its full meaning. “Even today, for many, it’s Women’s Day,” she notes. While it is not that, it is above all a struggle to have the rights of all women recognized. It shows that it is still necessary today to highlight the obstacles we live with, especially racialized women, women without status, aboriginal women. This day is essential, because it is not settled. »
For each victory comes its share of setbacks, recalls Mélanie Ederer, which justifies that the fight must continue. “And we will continue it,” she insists.