Opinion: U.S., Sask., Saskatoon elections show gender inequity

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In the leadup to the American election last week, discussions about Donald Trump’s appeal among men in the “manosphere” — an online men’s rights movement — revealed criticisms of Kamala Harris ranging from callous and misogynist to subtle and elusive, few of which engaged with her actual qualifications for presidential leadership.

It appears the manosphere prevailed, as Trump secured a relatively strong victory, with increased support from Black, Latin and white men.

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This is part of a troubling trend. Men’s rights movements are undeniably on the rise, particularly in the U.S., where overturning of Roe versus Wade, rising rates of gender-based violence, anti-trans legislation and a renewed focus on “traditional” values indicate a growing resistance to gender equity.

Canada is not immune; our global reputation for gender equity is slipping, with Canada falling six places to 36th worldwide in 2023, hindered by our gender pay gap and low representation of women in politics.

To this day, Canada has yet to elect a woman as prime minister. Although Kim Campbell briefly held the office in 1993, no woman has come close to being elected to this role since.

And despite a gender-equitable federal cabinet introduced in 2015 with the famous “because it’s 2015” remark, women hold only 30 per cent of federal parliamentary seats. At the municipal level, women hold 33 per cent of council positions, but this figure drops to 22 per cent of city mayors.

The recent Saskatchewan election saw an increase in the percentage of women in the legislature — from 24 per cent to around 35 per cent — driven by the New Democratic Party, where women comprise 48 per cent of elected members, compared to 24 per cent in the Saskatchewan Party.

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More significant, perhaps, is Saskatchewan missed the opportunity to elect its first woman as premier with Carla Beck — a fact discussed only after the election.

Whether locally or globally, progress on gender equity is stalling, an outcome that is not just about sexism or discrimination, although both remain barriers. The issue is the persistence of patriarchy, upheld by systems that expose women to harm simply because they are women, namely misogyny.

Patriarchy, or “the law of the father,” organizes society along rigid hierarchical, gendered lines, sustaining structures where masculine attributes dominate and feminine attributes are sidelined and policed.

Philosopher Kate Manne, author of Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny, describes misogyny as the “enforcement branch of patriarchy.” Misogyny punishes women who step out of traditional roles, exposing them to harm because their gender makes them “beneath full consideration.”

This logic explains the manosphere’s dismissal of Harris, whose run for office was a flagrant disavowal of the “supporting” role expected of her. Similarly, 30 years ago, Kim Campbell faced criticism for not having children and for being divorced — traits deemed unfitting for her position as prime minister.

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Saskatoon’s upcoming civic election offers the chance to elect the city’s first female mayor, a long-overdue milestone. However, just as Harris and Campbell faced gender scrutiny, Cynthia Block has already faced similar treatment.

It’s time to recognize that progress on gender equity is neither linear nor inevitable. Statements like “because it’s 2015,” or “because it’s 2024” ring hollow, reinforcing a false promise that equal rights are just around the corner. In reality, the “right time” for gender equity is a moving target, receding whenever we get close.

Change, then, requires sustained effort, critical examination and, perhaps most importantly, it requires a degree of irreverence — a willingness to challenge, subvert and even mock the conventions that keep women “in line.” Harris’s joyful campaign, for example, made the criticism of her laughter absurd.

This effort includes fostering landscapes in which women and gender diverse people are given full consideration, no longer exposed to harm due to gender and expression.

The question, thus, isn’t whether we are ready for gender parity but whether we are prepared to confront and dismantle the societal values that allow its absence to endure.

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Rachel Loewen Walker is the program chair and and an assistant professor in women’s and gender studies in the department of political studies at the University of Saskatchewan and the federal NDP candidate for Saskatoon West.

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