Maybe it was the proximity to International Women’s Day. Or maybe it’s an issue whose time has come. But last week’s release of the 2010 Catalyst Census: Financial Post 500 Women Senior Officers and Top Earners has caused waves in the media across the country. In my five years with Catalyst, I don’t remember such strong media response to our work. The recognition of the quality and significance of Catalyst’s work is gratifying.

But neither do I recall being so frustrated by the level of understanding of the barriers that still block career advancement for many Canadian women. In almost every interview I did, I was asked questions like: “Are women not reaching the top because they ‘opt out’ to raise families?”

True, those questions aren’t answered by the Census, which is intended to be a snapshot and a check on the progress in Canada’s leading companies. Other research, such as Pipeline’s Broken Promise, provides some of the answers.

That study demonstrates that smart, educated women start their careers at lower levels and earn about $4,600 less than their male counterparts. And the gap never closes, even for women who remain single and childless. No opting out. No family before career. Just a glass ceiling and a sticky floor.

If anyone doubts that we have to keep gathering the statistics and telling the stories, a quick skim through the comments on any of the media coverage of the Census will quickly convince them. There you’ll find the folks who think that women have it made or that women gain at the expense of men. Some even declared victory, as Margaret Wente did in her Globe and Mail International Women’s Day column, where she stated “The war for women’s rights is over. And we won.”

Pointing to advances women have made is good—it’s the encouragement we all need to keep going. But we can’t ignore the lack of equity at the top. The confusion of the past week shows that we have to keep challenging pat assumptions that women have made it—or risk being lulled by complacency and a clever headline.

Women are making their mark in many traditionally male professions, but not all.  This month, two articles discussed some fields where women are not playing—and some rinks where they are!  Also in C This Canada! the ways that lack of diversity in the boardroom is hurting Canadian businesses, and a report on a discussion of whether the Norwegian approach of legislating a quota for women on Boards would work in Canada.  And, with the departure of Premier Danny Williams, Newfoundland becomes the first province where women lead the three major political parties.

Why Women Still Aren’t Chasing an Iron Ring

Universities and professional engineering associations are seeking ways to convince young women that they can meet their goal of making a difference by becoming an engineer, but female engineering students continue to feel pressure to adapt in a male dominated environment.

READ: “Why More Women Aren’t Becoming Engineers” by Jennifer Myers, The Globe and Mail, 09/11/10

But Are Playing Hard for the Clarkson Cup

This year saw the first two women inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.  We know our women’s hockey teams are champions, but the majority of Canadians who have taken up the game in the past decade are female.

READ: “Jersey Girls: Women Lead the Way in Hockey’s Growth”, by Josh Wingrove, The Globe and Mail, 7/11/10

Canadian Boards on the “Cusp of Change”?

Canadian boards continue to be disproportionately white and male, but will  a generational shift bring greater diversity?

READ: “Boardroom Diversity Advances at ‘Glacial Pace’”, by Tim Shufelt, Financial Post, 21/10/10

Or Should Diversity be Legislated?

The Rotman School for Business and the Norwegian Embassy brought together business leaders and investors to consider legislated quotas for Board diversity, and some alternatives.

READ: “Should Gender Diversity on Boards Be Law?”, by Mary Teresa Bitti, Financial Post, 29/11/10

Is It in the Air, or the Culture?

Newfoundland is renowned for colourful politicians—but the province’s latest political first is that women are leading all three major parties on the Rock.  Newfoundlanders speculate on whether it’s because politics is in their blood, whether it’s the culture, or whether Rick Mercer is right that Newfoundland is simply the “coolest” province.

READ: “Women Rule on the Rock”, by Susan Delacourt, thestar.com, 26/11/10

The hum of excitement around Catalyst Canada’s office is becoming a crescendo as we prepare for The Catalyst Canada Honours dinner on Wednesday, October 6.

We are delighted that it’s a sold-out event—500 members and friends of Catalyst Canada will join us to celebrate our tenth anniversary!  Ten years of making friends and building partnerships.  Ten years of research and advocacy for the advancement of women in Canada.  Ten years of producing what is considered the “gold standard”  research on advancing women and business.  And ten years of growth and taking on new challenges.

We’re thrilled to celebrate three of the people who have been leading change by encouraging and supporting diversity in their organizations.  The first Catalyst Canada Honours Champions—  TD Bank’s Ed Clark; Scotiabank’s Sylvia Chrominska; and OPG’s Colleen Sidford—are proving what we already know:

What’s good for women is good for business.

Recently, sorting through a box of high school mementos, I found notes for my 12th grade debate: be it resolved that women earn the same as men.  

My 17-year-old self would never have guessed that almost 30 years later, my work and career would focus on creating a world where women have equal opportunities in the workplace. 

Finding that report reminded me of the advice I received from one of my first mentors: look for work that you’re passionate about, work for an organization that you are proud to be part of and with people you respect and can learn from. 

As a mentor, what would I say to that young woman? 

I would tell her that she was embarking on a journey that would be driven by her passion to make change in the world.

I would tell her to never be afraid to ask for help or for a new challenge.  That having the confidence to take risks would lead to career opportunities in government, consulting and nonprofit sectors. That she would grow stronger from facing her challenges head on.

I would tell her that the greatest satisfaction she’d experience in life and work would come from the times when she was true to herself and the things that mattered most to her at that very moment.    

And finally, I’d tell her that she would have the great fortune of building a support system of friends, family and mentors who would offer the encouragement and wise counsel that she needed to achieve her dreams.