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In Canada, Gender Equality Week takes place the fourth week of September. Gender Equality Week was created based on the Gender Equality Week Act in June of 2018 and has been celebrated each following year. This week celebrates achievements in advancing gender equality, especially contributions by women and gender diverse communities.

Gender equality goes beyond the binary construct of man and woman, which excludes many gender identities. To learn more about gender identity, watch UBC’s Intro to Gender Diversity: Beyong the Binary at UBC. As discussed in August’s blog post on Intersectionality Awareness, discrimination increases when individuals identify with more than one marginalized, oppressed, or underrepresented groups.

The Gender Equality Week Act

The Act that established Gender Equality Week acknowledges that gender can be a barrier to success as women in Canada are disproportionately affected by poverty and inequality, especially elderly, disabled, transgender, and visible minority women. Because of these inequities, women, especially transgender women in visible minority groups, may experience further isolation, vulnerability, and violence.

Gender Equality Week was based on this act to recognize the achievements and resilience of women and gender-diverse communities. The Government of Canada has created this timeline of achievements for gender equality. While this timeline shows progress in the right direction, we still have a long way to go to improve gender equality in Canada.

UBC Resources:

To learn more about gender diversity, watch UBC’s Intro to Gender Diversity: Beyond the Binary at UBC.

In 2021, UBC students also created a Trans and Non-Binary Student Guide to help students navigate UBC in an accessible way.

Here is a collection of resources UBC has provided to support diverse students in finding connection and support at UBC.

UBC’s Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice provides a platform for a number of student journals. Ignite: the Undergraduate Journal for Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice is an annual publication that showcases intersectional feminist scholarship produced by UBC students. The Decomp Journal is a literary and multimedia journal grounded in social justice committed to curating art from marginalized communities.

UBC Library Materials:

To learn more, check out these materials available at the UBC Library:

Esch, G. V. d. (2024;2023;). Leading our way: How women are re-defining leadership (1st ed.). Wiley. [Available at UBC Library]

Kendall, M. (2020;2021;). Hood feminism: Notes from the women that a movement forgot. Penguin Books. [Available at UBC Library]

Twist, A. (2019). Disintegrate/dissociate: Poems. Arsenal Pulp Press. [Available at UBC Library]

Yousafzai, M., & Lamb, C. (2013). I am malala: The girl who stood up for education and was shot by the taliban (First ed.). Little, Brown and Company. [Available at UBC Library]

Woolf, V. (1957). A room of one’s own. Harcourt, Brace & World. [Available at UBC Library]

Web sources consulted:

Carriere, M.-E. (2022, July 14). Summer Reads 2022: Our Top 12 Gender-Inclusive Books for Queer Youth & Allies That Take Us Beyond the Binary. It Gets Better Canada. https://itgetsbettercanada.org/2022/07/14/summer-reads-2022/, https://itgetsbettercanada.org/2022/07/14/summer-reads-2022/

Government of Canada. (2024, March 18). Gender Equality Week. Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/women-gender-equality/commemorations-celebrations/gender-equality-week.html

Legislative Services Branch. (2018, June 21). Gender Equality Week Act. Justice Laws Website. https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/G-2.3/page-1.html

Prime Minister of Canada. (2024, September 22). Statement by the Prime Minister on Gender Equality Week. Prime Minister of Canada. https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/statements/2024/09/22/statement-prime-minister-gender-equality-week

Tucker, Kate. (2023). Gender Equality Week. The Sandbox Project. https://sandboxproject.ca/2023-9-8-gender-equality-week/

What is Intersectionality?

First coined in 1989 by lawyer, civil rights advocate, and critical race theory scholar Kimberle Crenshaw, intersectionality describes when a person identifies with two or more marginalized, oppressed, or underrepresented groups as well as the impact systems have on people who are at the intersection of those identities (University of British Columbia, 2023).

Though the term was coined more recently, one of the most famous speeches in history, “Ain’t I A Woman,” by Sojourner Truth, is one of the key historical illustrations of intersectionality. The speech addresses the inseparable nature of overlapping social identities such as sexism and racism.

The speech has been altered over time, but a rendition performed by Kerry Washington of Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I A Woman” can be found here.

The intersection of racism and sexism are some of the most frequently discussed in scholarship, but there are many other areas where individuals and communities are impacted by discriminatory systems. Some other examples where intersectionality can be applied are:

• LGBTQIA+ individuals fearing homophobic or transphobic discrimination from health practitioners, therefore resulting in higher health issues within that community
• LGBTQIA+ immigrants who may face difficulties if they fear disclosure may have an impact on their visa

The “Wheel of Power/Privilege” provides an excellent visual showing how overlapping social identities impact privilege. As shown below, you can consult this wheel to see where you fall in terms of power or marginalization.

(UBC VPFO, 2021)

Opportunities at UBC:

To gain more in-depth knowledge about intersectionality, UBC offers a number of programs.

UBC offers a course on Understanding Intersectionality and Identity that explores the meaning of intersectionality and how systems of oppression affect individuals and communities at these intersections. The course provides tools for respectfully engaging with all members of our communities and examines the changes that must happen to shift our approach to systemic issues.

This course can be applied to UBC’s Certificate in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion as well as the Micro-certificate in Anti-Racism

Opportunities within the community:

Mosaic, an organization that provides services to immigrants, refugees, and diverse backgrounds in Canada, offers Community Workshops for Equity that discuss anti-racism, intersectionality, decolonization, and cultural humility.

UBC Library Materials:

To learn more, check out these books available at the UBC Library:

Crenshaw, K., & Bloomsbury Collections: All Titles. (2024). Blackness at the intersection (1st ed.). Bloomsbury Academic. [Available at UBC Library]

Davis, A. Y., ProQuest Digital Collections, & Editorial Committee Women in Nigeria. (1981). Women, race and class. Random House. [Available at UBC Library]

Hill Collins, P., Bilge, S., & Polity Press. (2020). intersectionality (Second ed.). Polity Press. [Available at UBC Library]

hooks, b. (1981). Ain’t I a woman: Black women and feminism. South End Press. [Available at UBC Library]

Oluo, I., & EBSCOhost. (2018). So you want to talk about race (First;1; ed.). Seal Press. [Available at UBC Library]

Web sources consulted:

Intersect. (n.d.). Intersectionality. LGBTIQ Intersect. Retrieved August 8, 2025, from https://www.lgbtiqintersect.org.au/learning-modules/intersectionality/

University of British Columbia. (2023, October 26). Intersectionality. Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion. https://redi.med.ubc.ca/intersectionality/

UBC Vice-President Finance & Operations Portfolio (VPFO). (2021, March 8). Intersectionality: What is it and why it matters. Vice-President Finance & Operations Portfolio (VPFO). https://vpfo.ubc.ca/news/intersectionality-what-is-it-and-why-it-matters/