When we think “economy”, it’s easy to imagine stereotypical things: opening bell, chaotic trading floor, ups and downs of stock graphs. But the economy is made up of people and it’s deeply gendered. There is no economy without women—and we haven’t valued them the way we should.

Over half of all female workers are employed in occupations involving the “5 Cs”: caring, clerical, catering, cashiering, and cleaning. Workers in these sectors face a lot of marginalization due to racism and precarious immigration status. These are precisely the types of jobs that are underpaid and under-protected, and they've taken quite an economic hit over the past few years.

This episode features Andrea Gunraj’s May 2022 talk about what it would mean to value gendered care work, included at Concordia University presents “The Walrus Talks: What’s Next” in Toronto.

Andrea is Vice President of Public Engagement at Canadian Women's Foundation. She has 20 years of experience in community-based program development and communications and a passion for innovative public education and non-profit leadership for social change. She has worked with several organizations in the areas of equity, inclusion, systemic anti-racism practice, human rights policy and practice, gender-based violence prevention and intervention, housing and homelessness, and sexual and reproductive health. She is a trainer, public speaker, published author, and holds a Masters in Criminology from the University of Toronto.

Episode transcript

Read Resetting Normal Reports on Building Intersectional Gender Justice in Post-Pandemic Canada

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