This International Women’s Day, CMHA encourages you to #InspireInclusion

Mar 8, 2024

On March 8, CMHA Ottawa is encouraging everyone to celebrate International Women’s Day 2024 by Inspiring Inclusion and acknowledging women’s equality.

Encouraging recognition and appreciation of women’s inclusion includes assisting women to make informed decisions about their health. A 2023 poll revealed that 66 per cent of Ontario women between the ages of 18 and 35 are living with a mental health condition. Women are nearly twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression.  When gender bias is present, women’s mental health can be adversely affected, leading to delays and misdiagnoses which ultimately lowers overall healthcare quality.

We also know that women’s homelessness and vulnerable housing – and the associated risks – have many differences to men’s in our city – from some of the risks experienced to the resources available.

Outside of the health system, the inequities experienced by women can lead to strain on their mental health. In Ontario, the hourly wage gap has narrowed six percentage points since 1998 to 13 per cent in 2022 when looking at average hourly wages. This means female employees in Ontario earned $0.87 for every dollar earned by their male counterparts.^. The gender wage gap is larger for racialized women, women who are newcomers, women with disabilities, Indigenous women, and trans women.³ 

Show your support for IWD 2024 by visiting the International Women’s Day website and sharing how you #InspireInclusion on social media.