The second annual Carleton University Women in Business (CUWIB) conference took place on March 3 at the Ottawa Marriott Hotel.
The event, titled “Discovering the Catalyst,” saw about 100 students and professionals of different genders gather to share stories and discuss the challenges facing women in the workplace, as well as possible solutions to gendered barriers.
The conference was heavily subsidized by external sponsors which consisted primarily of local companies in Ottawa, and was held ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8.
According to Kimberley Filion, CUWIB’s executive director of communications and sponsorship, the conference’s goals were to promote awareness and to facilitate empowerment by providing delegates with opportunities to draw from shared experiences.
“CUWIB values woman empowerment. One of the reasons that we’re holding this conference is so that people are aware of the inequalities and discrepancies . . . that exist in companies every day,” Filion said. “We want people to have an awareness of how to overcome those barriers.”
The conference began with a keynote address from Captain Josée Rodgers of the Canadian Armed Forces, who delivered an account of her journey in the army. Throughout her speech, Rodgers frequently repeated the phrase, “don’t talk about it, be about it,” urging delegates to take action in raising awareness for gender equality.
The conference featured five panels on topics ranging from finance to fashion, a number of motivational speeches, networking opportunities, and an impromptu yoga session.
Some of the key points raised by speakers and attendees were the need for women to support and empower one another. They emphasized the need for the conversation surrounding gender inequality in the workplace to be inclusive of all genders.
“Being female, there are innate qualities that we bring to the table that are different from the male perspective, but combined together are awesome,” said Paolina Calabro, an analyst and financial blogger who attended the event.
Roy Sunstrum, an entrepreneurship panelist and vice-president of operations for Shopify Plus, said that while he has seen a great improvement in gender equality in the workplace over the course of his 30 years in management, he still notices barriers opposing female colleagues.
“I still see women talked over, I still see women who have to fight a little harder to be heard. . . It’s all dramatically better than it was a decade or two ago, but I still see some of those kinds of struggles,” he said.
Almas Jiwani, an international women’s rights advocate, concluded the conference with a powerful speech. She cited the current “laser focus” on Hollywood in the wake of a string of sexual abuse scandals—leading to the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements—and criticism over lack of female recognition as having provided the women’s rights movement with an unprecedentedly powerful platform for change.
“In many countries, a woman is no longer defined purely by her marital status. By her ability to bear children, or how well she keeps her home. It is now conceivable that a woman can pursue any career she wants,” Jiwani said.
But, Jiwani reminded attendees that there is still a great deal of work to be done.
“We haven’t achieved gender equality. We are far, far from reaching it . . . in the United States, women remain underrepresented at every level in the corporate world, despite earning more college degrees than men for 30 years and counting,” she said. “Achieving gender parity starts with acknowledging the gaps that we need to bridge.”
Ruming Zhang, a third-year commerce student at Carleton who attended the conference, offered an optimistic perspective on overcoming gendered barriers in the workplace, pointing out that change is catalyzed by collaboration.
“That’s the [reason] I’m here . . . a group of people can influence the whole world,” Zhang said.
Photo by Aaron Hemens
