It was only 100 hundred years ago when women gained the right to vote in B.C. and while much progress has been made since, there is still a long way to go.
Penticton is playing host to two marches on International Women’s Day, March 8, to symbolize the continuing fight for equality and to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
Men, non-binary individuals and, of course, women are invited to join in solidarity with two marches taking place.
The Grandmothers for Africa are hosting a march at 11:45 a.m. starting at the Shatford Centre and the South Okanagan Women In Need Society (SOWINS) and the South Okanagan Victims Assistance Society (SOVAS) start a later march at 4:30 p.m. starting at Gyro Park.
There are still many issues women face in Penticton alone.
Bethany Handfield, with SOWINS, who help women and children escape violence and abuse, said there is a range of diverse issues women face in the South Okanagan today.
“We have instances now of seniors being abused by people in their lives taking advantage of them as they’re getting older,” Handfield said. “Something that is growing in our population too is people who have been in long-term, loving relationships but have a partner with Alzheimer’s or dementia and they become abusive because of that illness.”
A lack of low-income housing in Penticton is having an affect on women as well, Handfield said.
“It will sometimes force them back into staying with their abuser or in just really unhealthy situations. Whether having to trade sex for shelter or having to stay in situations where there is maybe drugs or violence,” Handfield said. “We’re working really hard to help women find different paths and be able to be more self-sufficient and just seeing there are different ways they can help themselves.”
Handfield recognized there is a long way to go for women, part of the reason marches like the upcoming International Women’s Day demonstration are necessary.
“A lot of people think well women have already come to this place, we’ve already gotten there. Everybody is equal at this point. I think lot of people don’t realize there is a lot of income disparity in wages, a lot of social injustices that happen towards women,” Handfield said. “Like Donald Trump in the States. He’s someone who people have actually put claims against for abuse in a lot of different forms towards women. Now he’s the president of the United States. So it’s kind of about the messaging that’s being sent out to women and one of the things we want to do with the walk is bringing together women, men and people who are non-binary.”
Supporting women around the world
Rita Taenzer and Lynn Popoff with the Grandmothers for Africa are ready to march for issues both at home and abroad.
Taenzer has been involved helping African women since the beginning of their organization in Penticton, 10 and a half years ago.
“Working for women has always been something that has been important to me. I believe we need to support each other and there’s times and been places in all women’s lives where they need the support of other women,” Taenzer said.
The need to support women in Africa became clearer as she got involved in the organization and it has become a passion for Taenzer. Both in the west and overseas progress has been made, but there is a recurring notion that there is still much work to be done.
“The exciting part for me is to watch the evolution over the last 10 years in Africa, of all we’re hearing from the grandmothers we’ve supported. I kind of liken it to the stage of womens’ issues in North America 30 or 40 years ago,” Taenzer said. “Granmothers in Africa 40 years ago were struggling to survive, and many still are, but there’s a new political awareness of their rights.”
Popoff attended a conference in Swaziland a few years ago with 500 grandmothers from around Africa who came together to share to hear the successes the Stephen Lewis Foundation, which Grandmothers for Africa is affiliated with, had there.
“It was wonderful to sit in the audience and hear Swaziland grandmothers talk about what they’ve been able to accomplish, and to hear the audience saying ‘we could do that, that would work for us.’ It was just a treat to be there,” Popoff said.
When the organization first started 10 years ago, there were six grandmothers groups in Canada. Now, there are over 250, who have raised over $25 million.
“We can’t really quantify what that’s done in Africa, but we know from the reports we get back that it has made a difference and things are developing,” Taenzer said.
Years ago, the funds raised by Grandmothers for Africa were going towards survival needs. It is still where some of the funding is going, but now more money is going toward organization-level supports, conferences and empowering women’s rights.
“What the women (in Africa) have learned in the last 10 years is that collectively they can stand up for their rights, they can be effective, they can change inheritance rights,” Popoff said. “In so many African countries, if the husband dies, the house goes to his family. It doesn’t go to the wife and the children, so they’re on the street.”
Marching means much more than their work abroad, as both Taenzer and Popoff are very aware there are plenty of issues at home.
“I’m thrilled we’re partnering with SOWINS and SOVAS here to get both the local and the global issues, but there are tons of things women still need” Taenzer said.
The Grandmothers for Africa walk will end at the Bufflehead, where three speakers will discuss issues from different perspectives.
“We’re not there yet by any means. We’re getting closer and we certainly have made strides but there is certainly a long way to go,” Popoff said. “A lot of it is in education. Just raising the issues. Keeping them front and centre.”