Grants and Contributions:

Creating Space: Precarious Status Women Leading Local Pandemic Responses

NA21872

$667,609.00

Aug 19, 2022 - Mar 31, 2024

This 19-month project will support a feminist response and recovery from the current impacts of COVID-19 through systemic change. Working with community partners representing precarious status women, frontline workers and Indigenous women, York University will examine how different groups of status-insecure women envision and enact local, collaborative models of self-determination to enhance their economic and physical well-being. They will conduct policy consultation workshops on labour and immigration law and policy, as well as gender-based violence. Policy briefs will be developed and adapted for the general public, media, and governments; a strategy grounded in Indigenous practices will be devised to address violence against Indigenous women and girls; and the project’s policy strategies will be showcased in a one-day symposium. In addition, York University will create a digital archive of video interviews documenting precarious status women’s pandemic experiences and vision for a just recovery. At the end of the project, the organization will have contributed to addressing systemic barriers by advancing inclusive policies and practices, increasing networks and collaboration to accelerate systemic change, supporting positive distribution of authority, voices, and decision-making power, and addressing persistent harmful gender norms and attitudes. This project will bring together experts from York University with community organizations serving Indigenous and precarious status migrant women. Partner organizations, researchers and students will collaborate to build the digital archive through conducting interviews and participating in focus groups to examine how status insecurity affects migrant and Indigenous women in the context of the pandemic. The interdisciplinary and multi-sectoral team will also contribute to policy consultation workshops to support the development of visions and policy recommendations for a just response to COVID impacts.

Women and Gender Equality Canada

Women and stakeholders have access to supports to address issues relating to equality between women and men.

Toronto, Ontario, CA M3J 1P3

001-2022-2023-Q2-00035

Contribution

Grants and Contributions

Academia

York University

Women's Program

The purpose of the Women’s Program is to advance equality for women in Canada by working to address or remove systemic barriers impeding women’s progress and advancement. The WP supports the Government of Canada’s goal of advancing gender equality in Canada. It is consistent with Government of Canada priorities related to economic prosperity, and supports Canada’s international commitments related to gender equality.