A new report commissioned by the Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW) reveals deteriorating employment rates for Canadian Muslim women, despite high levels of education. Some 16.7 per cent of Canadian Muslim females 15 years or older were unemployed in 2011. The report entitled, Canadian Muslim Women: A Decade of Change — 2001 to 2011, by economist Daood Hamdani reveals significant demographic changes for Canadian Muslim Women since CCMW released a similar report a decade ago. However, one fact has remained constant: their rate of unemployment and underemployment. The report will be released on September 28, 2014, at the Council’s annual Women Who Inspire awards and scholarship brunch. To tackle the issue head on, this year’s event includes a keynote address by Judy Rebick on the theme of Equality in Employment: Are We There Yet? Ms. Rebick is a renowned women’s rights activist, founder of rabble.ca, and former head of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. Dr. Daood Hamdani along with equity and human rights expert, Dr. Karen Mock, will reflect on Muslim women’s employment statistics and the lessons learned from thirty years of concerted effort to bring about employment equity. The event will be presented in partnership with the Canadian Association of Jews and Muslims.
The panelists are:
- Judy Rebick (Keynote Speaker): a well-known feminist, social justice activist, writer, educator and speaker, and founder of Rabble.ca.
- Dr. Dawood Hamdani: pioneer in the study of Canadian Muslims and economist.
- Dr. Karen Mock: a human rights consultant, educational psychologist and teacher educator.
The performer is:
- Key Ballah: a Toronto based, self-proclaimed “sensitive brown girl poet”. The author of “Preparing My Daughter for Rain”, a collection of poems about experiences surviving womanhood and healing.