By Daniella Lurion, Director of the Tour for Humanity
March 8 is recognized annually as International Women’s Day (IWD). The Government of Canada website describes it as “a global day to recognize and celebrate women’s and girls’ social, economic, cultural and political achievements.” The 2025 IWD theme is “accelerate action”- which seeks to accelerate the progress for gender equality.
The World Economic Forum estimates that at the current rate of progress, it will take 5 generations to reach gender parity. This number increases exponentially in countries where women and girls have less rights compared to their male counterparts. In Canada, in 2022, women earned (on average) 84 cents for every dollar earned by men.
These sobering statistics indicate there’s a lot of work ahead. To be sure, some extraordinary women have spent their lives fighting for gender equality and breaking the glass ceiling such as Roberta Bondar.
You have likely heard the phrases “it’s not rocket science” and “it’s not brain surgery.” Dr. Roberta Bondar is both an astronaut and neurologist, as well as a published nature photographer. Born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, she showed an interest in science at a young age and was admitted to the Royal College of Physicians in 1981, specializing in the nervous system. In 1992, at the age of 47, Dr. Bondar became the first Canadian woman in space when she flew aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 1992. As a physician and astronaut, she pioneered space medicine research and led NASA research teams that studied data from spaceflights to apply to medicine on Earth.
Dr. Bondar was awarded the Order of Canada in 1992 and promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada in 2018, the country’s highest civilian honour.
Sources and further reading:
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1410041701
https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Theme
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/roberta-bondar
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