Gender Equality

It is nearly impossible to find market housing as a single mother, even with proof of reliable bill payments and longevity of tenancy. Lower tenant income scares landlords into believing...it is not worth it. I am currently living somewhere that is run down because nicer places don't want to take the risk.

-Listening Campaign 2025 participant

Centre for Family Equity focuses on gender equality because we understand that gender-based discrimination and violence are deeply embedded in the systems that perpetuate poverty and inequality.

Gendered barriers limit access to opportunities, resources, and justice, especially for gender-diverse people, women, and lone mothers. By advancing gender equality, we aim to dismantle these systemic inequities, ensuring that all families, regardless of gender, have the support and opportunities they need to thrive.

Related Work

Lone Mothers’ Economic Inclusion Initiative +

Our Lone Mothers’ Economic Inclusion initiative is a community-driven effort to address the deepening poverty and systemic economic exclusion of many lone mothers in British Columbia — a crisis made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. From 2022 to 2024, we partnered with the UBC School of Social Work to conduct peer-led research with 165 lone mothers across BC, uncovering urgent policy gaps in income supports, child care, housing, mental health, and employment standards.

Backed by Women and Gender Equality Canada and the McConnell Foundation, this work continues through 2026 with four Regional Impact Committees made up of mothers with lived experience of poverty and committees bringing a racial equity and disability justice lens to this work. These committees are leading advocacy and knowledge mobilization efforts across the province, working to advance evidence-based policy solutions that support economic recovery and lasting inclusion for lone-mother families.

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