Vancouver Sun March 6, 2026

Women’s groups making important, lasting changes

CFUW members share insights as well as the importance of representation and advocacy. The approximately 6,700 women members of the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) recognize this divide, and they work together to advocate for equality through education and women’s empowerment. Despite all the progress made towards achieving gender equality, there is still a significant disparity in representation today.

Statistics Canada’s 2026 report on the proportion of men and women employed in occupations reveals there’s still a gap within certain fields and positions. Management occupations are 63.2 per cent male, and health care (79.7 per cent) and education (69.2 per cent) are the only sectors with more women employed.

This year, Grace Hollett, vice-president of international relations at CFUW, and Linda Sestock, national president of CFUW, will attend the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women to represent marginalized groups and keep women’s rights at the forefront of changemakers’ minds.

Educating within education

Grace Hollett’s passion for education began as a child in a one-room school in Flat Island, Newfoundland, where she liked overhearing teachers explaining concepts to the grade above in the next room. At Bishop Spencer College in St. John’s, she discovered a real talent for mathematics. She was inspired and motivated by her high school principal, Evelyn Matthews, to continue honing her mathematics and teaching skills.

“She was so good at explaining things so that you understood what you were doing. And she encouraged me,” she says. She then pursued multiple education degrees at Memorial University, going on to teach mathematics to students and learning how to meaningfully teach the subject to future educators. “Mathematics was not a typical subject for a lot of women at the time. I was working with the men mainly,” she recounts. During her career, Hollett saw the life-changing impacts of education and she became an advocate for the field. She joined the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association to champion the rights and privileges of educators. With her work there, they discovered a significant gender divide amongst teachers. “We worked on (making) prospective teachers aware of it and try to encourage women to go into high school and to go into the sciences. And also to encourage men to go into the primary or elementary area.”

They also observed that women were underrepresented in administrative positions. However, Hollett has seen the gap shrink over the years, showing the power of advocacy and representation in the field. Nowadays, she observes: “There’s much more awareness of gender equity within schools. It’s a different world (now) from 30 years ago, when there was a lot of opposition to gender equity.” She attributes this change to the consistent work of advocacy groups and unions.

“How did they become more aware? I think it’s because of women’s groups like CFUW.”

Community matters

Linda Sestock is a Montreal native who has been in real estate for 23 years. She experienced many career pivots before beginning as a realtor: taking steps to go into law or education, working for the Montreal Expos, then doing sales and administrative work in insurance. Due to the lack of child-care services available at the time, Sestock had to find a way to excel in real estate while being a full-time mother. “I had three free hours a day when (my daughter) went to garderie, like a pre-school. That was my first year in business. I never had daycare.”

Sestock attributes part of her success to the welcoming environment of the industry, especially to women. Her caring nature, which is traditionally not as respected in male-dominated spaces, was a celebrated attribute because she was able to pay attention to her clients’ needs to find the best deal possible. While her independence and resourcefulness helped her succeed, the support of other realtors was also crucial to thrive. “Half of the realtors every year leave the business and then it’s that same amount added every year after. So for the people who have been around, we know each other,” she explains. “I think it’s a more collaborative effort today. You can’t do it alone, right?” Sestock highlighted the importance of having advocates and allies in the business. A supportive community is key to creating a welcoming environment where everyone can grow and learn. “I’ve reached the stage where I like mentoring newer people because I didn’t have the same type of mentorship when I first started. It’s a lonely business, being a realtor. We only have our colleagues, so it’s important to have good relationships.”

Celebrate the women in your life

To celebrate International Women’s Day this year, both Hollett and Sestock encourage people to participate in local events organized by the community. This is a great way to support local organizations, find groups to join and learn more about women’s experiences.“It’s very nerve-wracking to live in the current climate (as a woman), but what has helped me is volunteering and being involved in the community,” adds Mabinty Touré, administrative and organizational projects co-ordinator at CFUW. “We still exist and we’re still here. International Women’s Day is a reminder of how far along we have come and that the fight continues as long as we’re here.”

This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content studio.