Niagara Community Observatory policy brief #47 completes an environmental scan of municipal councils, advisory committees, and boards in Niagara to determine the gender make-up of these local governance structures. It finds women are overwhelmingly underrepresented on local councils, compared to their share of the population. They are also underrepresented on appointed advisory committees and boards, though to a lesser degree. Challenges and barriers to women running for office are discussed as well as why gender representation matters. Recognizing that gender is just one component of intersectionality and that further efforts for diversification are needed, the policy brief suggests a more concerted attempt must be made to attract women to all opportunities of local governance (elected and appointed) to ensure public policy reflects a diverse population.
Published On: September 2020
Published By: Niagara Community Observatory
