Inclusive and Diverse Leadership in Parliamentary Politics and Beyond.

• Author: Bell, Hannah

It's undeniable that there are systemic barriers which prevent certain people from fully participating in society. Inside and outside of parliamentary politics, there has been much discussion and debate about the kinds of barriers women face. In this article, the author explores how a tendency for women to take on caregiving roles for children, and increasingly the elderly, is one such barrier to full participation--particularly for caregivers who are single. She writes that parliamentarians can and should lead by example by finding creative ways to eliminate these barriers in their own organizations and professional development activities.

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There has been a lot of discussion and debate inside and outside parliamentary jurisdictions about addressing the barriers for women to participate in leadership and political roles. There is no shortage of solid, evidence-based reports that objectively analyze the data and stories of women in PEI, across Canada, and around the world to identify what needs to change to create a more inclusive and diverse leadership landscape.

Over and over we hear that the systemic barriers for women's participation are not about ability, interest, or skill. The unpleasant reality is that the barriers are in the wage gap, violence and safety, childcare access, and caregiving roles. In this article, I'd like to focus on this caregiving role and provide an example of how parliamentarians can lead by example to break down this barrier.

Women are more likely than men to be unpaid or underpaid caregivers for children and, increasingly, also for seniors. This means that their participation in formal politics often requires them to either find and/ or pay someone else to provide care. Single parents and primary care providers--both women and men are least likely to have flexibility and options around caregiving roles.

To allow caregivers full participation in the life of society, government and associated organizations must enact policies that increase supports, not burdens, for caregivers. (1) The PEI government has the opportunity to show leadership in this regard by implementing the suite of changes recommended by the PEI Coalition for Women in Government in its much-referenced 2009 research report 'Whose Job is it Anyway?' (2)

We must design policies, programs, and services that recognize and respect this reality and are truly inclusive. It takes work to recognize and that move beyond our assumptions, uncover the...