Society still has a long way to go to treat men and women equally, even in a First World country like Canada, says local psychologist Jody Carrington.
Carrington made that point in a lengthy keynote speech during the second Dot's Day, an empowerment and wellness conference for women, held March 16 at the Ralph Klein Centre and Alumni Centre.
The pay that women receive is just one example of that inequality, Carrington indicated.
She showed a statistic on a big screen.
"Look at this -- 73.5 cents on every dollar that a man makes. And I shoot out a kid? Are you kidding me? I shoot out a watermelon through the hole of a peach and you're going to pay me 73 cents on the dollar? Not today Satan," she said, sparking laughter.
Carrington noted that the winning Kevin Koe rink in the Brier (the Canadian men's curling championship) received $70,000, more than twice the $32,000 the Chelsea Carey rink earned for winning the Scottie's Tournament of Hearts (the Canadian women's national curling championship).
"That's a problem," Carrington said.
She said society needs to not only treat women more equally in terms of pay but also in attitude. For example, she indicated, women and girls should not be concerned if they run or throw "like a girl."
Carrington showed a video that indicated that's just a way to belittle women. Instead, they should be proud of who they are and how they do things.
"'Like a girl.' Are you kidding me? Do you want to see what a girl looks like? Come on. I'm a CEO of a company, I wrote a book, I own three kids and a husband who's all right," Carrington said to some laughter.
"The only way we teach them how to be like a girl is we act like a girl. Girls are strong and powerful and kind and smart and funny and they're everything that a man can be."
However, Carrington said, the way to achieve equality is not to fight against men, but to work with them to make that happen.
"We come in peace, but we mean business. There is a big difference between being a feminist who believes in women. It's not the same as bashing men," Carrington said.
"I own two sons. I own an amazing husband and I feel like those boys, that man, can be very integral in that process. We are not against them, we have to be with them. And one of the biggest mistakes we make is setting up this idea that it's us versus them. That will never work.
"We come in peace, but don't mess with us. And it's about time we had a seat at the table," she added.
