About Jessica Howard

Jessica Howard is Manager, Content and Web at the Canadian Women’s Foundation. Having worked as a journalist, blogger, content strategist and university instructor, she believes that storytelling is key to social change. As a mother of two sons, she is also highly knowledgeable about Lego, Star Wars and Superheroes.

“My desire for a better life overruled my fear”: Kathy’s Story

2018-06-28T15:01:00+00:00April 13, 2017|Women’s poverty|

Kathy Tuccaro with her truckKathy Tuccaro never pictured herself as a heavy equipment operator, but a skilled trades program at Women Building Futures helped her take her life in a new direction.

AT JUST SEVEN years old, Kathy Tuccaro started running away from home.

She says she was first molested as a young child living in foster care, and continued to experience verbal, physical, and sexual abuse during her childhood, as well as throughout her adulthood life.

She went on to have a daughter and become a nurse, but was haunted by her past. She struggled with self-harm, toxic relationships, and alcoholism.

Three Reasons Equal Pay Day Matters to All Canadians

2017-12-19T16:31:17+00:00April 11, 2017|Women’s poverty|

Wage Gap StatisticAre you seeing red today? If so, that’s a good thing!

It’s Equal Pay Day, and the Ontario Equal Pay Coalition is calling on people to wear red to acknowledge that women are still “in the red” due to the gender wage gap.

Equal Pay Day marks the date that represents how far into this calendar year women must work to earn what men did in the last year. When you account for the gender wage gap, a woman in Ontario would have to work 15.5 months to earn what men earn in 12 months. That brings us to early April.

Mixed Messages: Ableism in Dating

2022-02-18T18:55:58+00:00March 20, 2017|Guest bloggers|

Young couple on a date

Ableism can be defined as systemic discrimination based on disability. You know, those encounters you have that make you feel bad about your disability, or those barriers that prevent you from having your needs or desires met.

 

Ableism shows up everywhere. And for women or femmes or gender non-binary people, sometimes it's hard to pinpoint whether it's misogyny, ableism, or a gnarly combination. 

 

So how does ableism enter the dating world?

 

On International Women’s Day, How Are You Taking Bold Action?

2017-12-19T16:32:33+00:00March 8, 2017|Uncategorized|

Crowd of women waving hands in the air

Be bold for change!

That’s the rallying cry of this year’s International Women’s Day – an annual celebration of women’s achievements and a call to action for gender parity.

What’s inspiring us today is that we’re already seeing bold action on gender equality in Canada:

-Late last year, the government announced that civil rights activist Viola Desmond will be the first woman to appear on Canada’s $10 bill, a symbolic but significant recognition of women’s and African Canadians’ contributions to Canada.