The Changing Role of Women in the North

Toni Graeme

The role of women in the North appears to be getting more difficult, more stressful, and more thankless. The economic necessity for women to work outside the home is greater, and yet there is still the responsibility of keeping the family together. On top of that, there are the ever-increasing social problems, like drug and alcohol abuse, assaults, depression, and suicide. Whether or not these problems afflict our family, their increase is bound to have a serious effect on us.

I would like to turn the title around and focus on the "changing woman in the North". This is where the optimism is. It is the change that we as women make in our own lives that will determine our role in the North-and anywhere else for that matter.

Women are taking much more control over their own lives: when to marry; when to start a family; when and how to get an education. More women are setting career paths to suit their interests, even if they are ones that have traditionally been male dominated.

The federal and territorial governments keep too few statistics on women in the North to be helpful to us in looking at women and their numbers in various areas. But because our communities are so small, and communication and networking so good, we can see some progress being made.

Two years ago, only 8 per cent of the management positions in the Government of the Northwest Territories were held by women. Today, that number has risen to 10 per cent. Although a 2 per cent increase seems small, it is, nonetheless, an increase. Three out of four women who make up the increase are native northern women-this is progress.

Nationally, more women than men are successful in small business, but there are a surprising number of women active in business in the North, particularly in the western Arctic. In Yellowknife, it is estimated that almost one-third of the small businesses are owned by women. These businesses range from arts and graphics enterprises to clothing stores, restaurants, and travel agencies.

There is certainly room for growth in small business in the tourism and service sector. Women are becoming more aggressive in reaming how to start and run a business, and in identifying sources of government and bank financing.

Wherever we live, the quality of the social fabric of our lives is incredibly important. With the territorial government having to respond to an ever-increasing rate of social problems, women are taking a lead role in identifying particular problems and initiating local solutions. They are bringing people together to analyse the situation, locating resource people who can help, and finding funding to establish projects or services to meet the needs. A prime example of this type of initiative is Nutaraq's Place, the newly opened transition house in Iqaluit, a project undertaken by the Agvvik Society. It took almost three years of planning before its doors were opened to those in need. Their persistence and commitment is typical of the women throughout the North who are successful at whatever they determine to do.

In the last federal election we saw a woman running in the eastern Arctic and two in the West. Greater numbers of women are taking leadership roles in native and other non-governmental organizations. Doing so means we are not only making a contribution to our community but are also reaming how groups work, the impact they can have, and, in a small way, gaining organizational and corporate experience in goal-setting and budgeting.

Every day I hear of women establishing their own network which they hope will rival and replace the Old Boys Network. Like everything else on Earth, we are evolving. As with every generation, the future of our daughters and granddaughters to be freer than ourselves, and to pursue their goals, rests with us today.

I think we have many exciting challenges ahead of us in the next few years in the North, and I have every confidence that women in all communities will rise to the occasion.

Toni Graeme is the former Director, Women's Secretariat, Government of the Northwest Territories.