Endorsements

LadiesCorner Endorsements

LEELA SHARON AHEER MINISTER OF CULTURE, MULTICULTURALISM AND STATUS OF WOMEN

It’s my honour to contribute to the second edition of the Ladies Corner Magazine.

This magazine fills an important niche in media by profiling the many strong women in Alberta. From businesswomen to artists and community advocates, women are a force for positive change.

Alberta women are at the forefront of women’s entrepreneurship in Canada, and own or run nearly 40 per cent of small to medium-sized businesses in the province.

I am proud to be in a position where I can support these resourceful, independent women. Boosting and supporting women’s entrepreneurship will create new opportunities and jobs, and keep Alberta’s economy growing.

My own experience as a small business owner taught me that it takes the support of a whole community to succeed. This magazine creates that community, and helps us raise fellow women up to new heights.

Happy holidays to all of the Ladies Corner readers. I hope your month is full of time with family and friends, staying warm and cozy, and enjoying winter activities. DR BUKOLA SALAMI

As women of diverse origin and social locations, we face a lot of challenges. Our genders intersect with a lot of our other social positions, including race, class and nationality. For instance, on average immigrant women are more highly educated than Canadian born populations; yet, immigrant women earn less than non-immigrant women and are more likely to live in poverty. Also, generally, women are more likely to experience domestic violence. Women are also more likely to experience depression. There are many social conditions including racialization that shapes the experiences of women in Canada. Building vital

social networks, fostering community belonging, and creating a voice to ensure representation in policy discourse will help to challenge some of the issues faced by women, including immigrant women. We need to have a voice to improve our social status and well being. LadiesCorner.ca provides a platform and presents a way to foster community belonging and advocacy while capitalizing on the strengths of women. I believe by highlighting successful women in the community, hopefully, other women will see a path to achieving success in Canada and in other high-income countries. Thank you for putting this forward. Gender inequality exists and this is a strategy to advance gender equity.