IN THIS ISSUE:
- NEW BRUNSWICK HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION ON PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION
- NOTICES
- “SKILLS WORK!® FOR WOMEN” NETWORKING DINNERS
- PROFILE OF VICTIM SERVICE PROVIDERS IN N.B.
- 10-POINT HEALTH EQUITY ROAD MAP
- ADDICTIONS TREATMENT PROGRAMS DESIGNED FOR MEN
- IT'S NOT THAT THEY HAVE THE BEST IDEAS
- RICH PEOPLE MORE LIKELY TO CHEAT, TAKE CANDY FROM CHILDREN
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NEW BRUNSWICK HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION ON PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION
During the January 2001 to January 2012 period, we received 141 inquiries from employees & employers concerning pregnancy, & a total of 8 written complaints of pregnancy discrimination from employees. Nearly all the cases concerned employment. They involved such issues as requiring the employee to take an earlier leave than she wanted, not preserving her position for her return, or refusing to hire an applicant who is pregnant. It is disappointing that not all pregnant employees can count on having their rights respected at work.”
It is disconcerting that, a decade after the amendment to the act, the N.B. Human Rights commission still receives complaints of employers discriminating against pregnant women. The protection against pregnancy discrimination is in addition to the right to maternity & child care leaves guaranteed by the Employment Standards Act. The Human Rights Act was amended to explicitly prohibit pregnancy discrimination in 1992, including the possibility of pregnancy, circumstances related to pregnancy & includes medical complications, abortion, miscarriage, fertility treatment, family planning, & breastfeeding. The commission has published a guideline that explains this in detail.
- Excerpts, Commission’s release, 6 March 2012, http://bit.ly/wdwU47; Pregnancy guideline: http://bit.ly/AEnA0V
NOTICES
Family Violence: Strategies for Healthy Living & Healthy Relationships – 6th Family Violence Networking Conference, 8 May 2012, St. Thomas U Conference Centre. With author Dr. Walter S. DeKeseredy of U. of Ontario Institute of Technology, Annie LePage of U. de Moncton etc. Early bird $75 by 10 April or $100. Some subsidies. Provincial Caring Partnerships Cttee. 472-5085; 1-(888)-673-6633; [email protected] . http://bit.ly/w3eo8c
Where Have All the Voters Gone?: The Death of Politics & Citizen Engagement - free lecture, UNB poli sci professors Paul Howe & Thom Workman. Wed 28 March 2012, 7pm, UNB SUB. http://bit.ly/ypQxqN
Submit Your Name to be named on N.B.’s government-appointed boards & commissions . Current vacancies include Collège communautaire NB & NB Community College, NB Arts Board, Assessment & Planning Appeal Bd (Edmundston & Campbellton). See others & details: http://bit.ly/hhEEYN
UNB Women's Studies "Talk Back" Lunch & Learn – Thurs 15 March 2012, 12-1:30pm, Wu Centre. Overview of the 25-yrs of UNB Women's Studies & open discussion. Part of a quality assessment review. Prominent feminist academics present: Dr Margrit Eichler & Dr Katherine Side. Everyone welcome incl community groups & citizens. Free coffee & sandwiches. Dr Wendy Robbins, [email protected] ; 449-2213.
Ignite conference : Passion, Perseverance, Leadership – Speakers: Erin Brockovich, Barb Stegeman, Margaret-Ann Blaney. 26 April 2012, Moncton Wesleyan Center. $75 incl lunch. http://bit.ly/zRuLqL
Actively Engaging Women and Girls: Addressing the Psycho-Social Factors - New resource for those working with women and girls so they maintain healthy lifestyles. Cdn Assoc for Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity. http://bit.ly/Axjj7W
Queer Theory: What It Is & What It Isn't - UNB's Chris Lorey, 20 March 2012, mingle at 7, presentation 7:30pm, Gallery Connexion, 440 York St, Fredericton, Bring questions, assumptions & thinking caps.
Improving Financial Growth Opportunities for Women Business Owners - Workshops in various N.B. regions. Women in Business & N.B. Assoc of CBDC. 452-3918 ; [email protected]
Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre Seeks Volunteers - Help support victims of sexual assault. Volunteer training begins in April 2012. Apply by 23 March. 454-0460.
The N.B. Government Invites You – to help design a drug plan for uninsured persons. By 30 April 2012. 30% of us don’t have prescription coverage & government will subsidize costs of a plan. Details & submissions, http://bit.ly/zOUP24
A Voyage Of Self Discovery - 6-wk women-centered program. Moncton’s Support to Single Parents & YWCA. Thursdays 7-9pm for 6 wks starts 3 May 2012. Self-care, stress management, financial literacy, tapping into creativity, taking action. $30. Register: 858-1303 (3301) [email protected]
Addictions & Mental Illness - Working with Co-occurring Disorders – workshop by CTRI, Fredericton: 30 May 2012. http://bit.ly/zQ8CGL; [email protected]
YWCA Moncton is looking for nominations for Women of Distinction 2012 Award – Must live &/or work in Greater Moncton & consent to nomination. Many categories. Send a profile & 2- 3 support letters by 26 March: [email protected] ; 855-3320. Gala will be on 24 May, http://bit.ly/xvXGYA
Bystander Intervention Campaign by Men Can Stop Rape - “When Karl kept harassing women on the street, I said, “Stop being a jerk”. I’m the kind of guy who takes a stand. Where do You stand?” http://bit.ly/yhF8Qc Guide: http://bit.ly/y9dXq8
“SKILLS WORK!® FOR WOMEN” NETWORKING DINNERS
Young women from across the province are being invited to attend dinners promoting careers in sectors where women have been traditionally under-represented.
“Skills Work!® for Women” Networking Dinners provide young women in grades 9-12 access to female mentors working in non-traditional careers, specifically in skilled trades and technologies. While enjoying a great dinner, students will have the opportunity to explore exciting careers, hear inspiring stories from dynamic guest speakers, meet fascinating women working in these fields - and in some cases, even see how the job is done.
Participants leave feeling empowered and informed about a variety of career choices available to them.
The next “Skills Work!® for Women” Dinner will be held on March 29th at Sussex Regional High School in Sussex from 5:30-8:30pm, with another dinner planned to take place in Fredericton on May 9th at Leo Hayes High School.
For more information or to register for an upcoming networking dinner, visit http://bit.ly/nF6SJD
PROFILE OF VICTIM SERVICE PROVIDERS IN N.B.
In 2009-10, the 22 victim service providers operating in New Brunswick assisted over 4,848 primary & secondary crime victims - crisis intervention, emotional support & liaising with agencies. The services employ the equivalent of 71 full-time staff & 158 volunteers. 13 services are justice system-based, 5 police-based, 1 community-based, 1 sexual assault centre. A provincial criminal injuries compensation program is also available.
On snapshot day (27 May 2010), 69% of the victims served were female. 65% had been the victim of a violent crime: 34% of sexual assault & 63% of another violent crime such as physical assault. Among the victims of sexual assault who received assistance, 87% had been sexually assaulted by a friend, an acquaintance or a stranger; 4% by a current/former spouse or an intimate partner & 8% by a family member. Of those who had been the victim of another type of violent offence, 35% said that they had been victimized by a current/former spouse or an intimate partner, 5% by another family member & 61% by another person such as a friend, an acquaintance or a stranger.
- Excerpts, Victim services in Canada, 2009/2010, Statistics Canada. http://bit.ly/wp0xeo
10-POINT HEALTH EQUITY ROAD MAP
A 6-yr long POWER Study (Project for an Ontario Women's Health Evidence-Based Report) just released examines access, quality & outcomes of care using evidence for the leading causes of disease & disability & how they varied by sex, income, ethnicity & region. Among conclusions:
If people from all income groups had the same hospital admissions rates as those from the highest ‐ income group re heart failure, diabetes, COPD, & asthma, there would be 30% fewer hospitalizations. If all Ontarians had the same health as those with higher incomes, 231,000 fewer people would be disabled & 3,373 fewer deaths would occur each year among those in metropolitan areas.
Low-income women experience highest burden of chronic illness & disability. The social determinants of health influence women & men differently. Many of the observed inequities result from chronic diseases & their risk factors. There is an opportunity to improve population health while reducing inequities by focusing on chronic disease prevention & management & targeting at-risk populations.
Reducing illness burden is key to health system sustainability as population ages.
- Media release: http://bit.ly/A2DboI . Study: http://bit.ly/zlZs0w
ADDICTIONS TREATMENT PROGRAMS DESIGNED FOR MEN
Outcome research needs to be conducted with women to understand women’s unique treatment requirements. In the past decade, researchers have acknowledged that there are different treatment concerns for women, & research efforts have been made to address such issues necessitated by women increasingly seeking treatment in traditionally male-oriented addictions programs.
Many addictions treatment programs were designed by men & originally intended only for men. Male-oriented treatment programs are less likely to meet the needs of female clients. Ex.: treatment programs that incorporate a 12-step model tend to focus on surrendering power, which further disempowers women. Women participating in intensive outpatient addictions treatment programs were less apt to stay in treatment due to fewer women clients enrolled in the program & programs not designed for their needs.
When women participate in a collaborative addiction treatment program that focuses on empowerment & choice, women reduce their substance use & become responsible for their lives.
- Excerpt, Ethical & Legal Issues in Addictions Outcome Research, Simone F. Lambert in Counseling Outcome Research & Evaluation, March 2011.
IT'S NOT THAT THEY HAVE THE BEST IDEAS
Katie Orenstein, founder of The OpEd Project (http://huff.to/zJCGrd ) which trains women to write for op-ed pages & online sites:
If you think about who the voices are & what are the ideas that we hear in the world, it's a very narrow selection of society. It's mostly privileged, Western, white, & male. It's almost 85% male in almost any forum where thought leadership & public conversation take place. If you look at op-ed pages, they run 80-85% male. Wikipedia, 87% of contributors are male. 85% of Hollywood writers, producers, & directors are male. People think, 'Oh, there's Maureen Dowd… Hillary Clinton… Katie Couric.' It's easy to forget they are the exception. It’s a problem for women because our ideas & our needs aren't being expressed. The bigger problem is that if you believe that half of the best minds & ideas out there belong to women... then what is the cost to all of us with those voices missing? Only about 10-20% of newspaper opinion pieces are written by women. A tiny percentage of people are driving the ideas that influence the world. It's not that (they) have the best ideas. It's the people who by accident of birth are the ones who are heard.
One of the most poignant examples …is with heart disease. For years it was thought that women were hormonally protected from heart disease, & then, 10 or 15 years ago, we found out it's the number one killer of women. How could it be that for years we thought that we were hormonally protected? The reason is that all of the research protocols were done by & on men.
Those who are under-represented start to internalize it. Minority voices begin to doubt their own competencies. A lot of research that shows we believe we can do things because we see other people who look like us doing them. So if you are a woman, a person of color, if you are a poor person, or if you are from the developing world, you are not seeing a lot of people like you participating in thought leadership & public debate. Therefore you are less likely to see yourself doing it. Something that comes up universally in our training is massive self-abnegation. You see it with men of color as well. You rarely see it with people who are well-represented such as accomplished white men. It's about - do you feel entitled to have a voice? We worry about whether we know enough. We should focus on how important the things we know could be to other people, what a difference we could make… There are people who narrate the world, who own history, who own the story, & there are people who are characters in the story. The story never reflects well the needs or perspectives of those who aren't telling it.
RICH PEOPLE MORE LIKELY TO CHEAT, TAKE CANDY FROM CHILDREN
A study says rich people are more likely to engage in unethical behaviour than their poorer counterparts - lying in a negotiation, cheating to win a prize & cutting off motorists & pedestrians. Those who considered themselves "upper class" were more likely to take valued items from others, including candy, even after they were told that what was left would be given to children. Others exhibited a greater willingness to cheat to increase their chances of winning a prize. Under all the circumstances the researchers tested, the higher "class" someone was, the greater their tendency to engage in "socially inappropriate" or illegal behaviour.
The differences in ethical behavior can be explained, in part, by the upper-class participants' more favourable attitude toward greed... Unethical behavior is not absent from lower-class individuals. But the higher-class people tend to engage in more unethical behaviour. The findings were consistent across age, gender, ethnicity, religion & political orientation.
- Study by U of California & U of Toronto School of Management, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. CTV coverage: http://bit.ly/x3cPjr
IN PARTING
Erin Brockovich: You want my number, eh? Which number you want? George: How many numbers you got?
Erin: Oh, I got numbers comin' outta my ears. For instance: ten.
George: Ten?
Erin Brockovich: Yeah. That's how many months old my baby girl is. George: You got a little girl?
Erin Brockovich: Yeah, sexy, huh? How 'bout this for a number? Six. That's how old my other daughter is, 8 is the age of my son, 2 is how many times I've been married - & divorced; 16 is the number of dollars I have in my bank account. 850-3943. That's my phone number, & with all the numbers I gave you, I'm guessing zero is the number of times you're gonna call it.
- From the 2000 movie, Erin Brockovich.