What challenges do local women face? As International Women鈥檚 Day this Sunday draws near, six local women talked to The 劲爆大瓜 about women鈥檚 issues, the potential for progress and the wisdom they want to share.
Patricia Heintzman
Gender bias, says Mayor Patricia Heintzman, is thankfully a lot less common these days, though she鈥檚 no stranger to it. Heintzman was once declined a business loan in the 鈥�90s and believes it鈥檚 likely because she was a woman. She says she has been on boards where her suggestions were ignored, then later attributed to a male colleague who was congratulated on his 鈥渟age wisdom.鈥�
鈥淏ut it鈥檚 never stopped me from doing anything,鈥� she says. 鈥淚f my older brother could do it, I could do it better.鈥�
To other women, Heintzman says: 鈥淭here鈥檚 absolutely nothing you can鈥檛 do. If someone tells you can鈥檛 do something, prove them wrong.鈥�
And never be afraid of asking for help, she adds. 鈥淏ut don鈥檛 ask because you don鈥檛 want to do it or you don鈥檛 know how to do it. Ask for help because you want to learn how to do it. Then learn how to do it better.鈥�
Opportunities for women in Squamish, she explains, are far more diverse than they used to be. 鈥淭he social fabric of our community is founded on the strength of women and the compassion of women,鈥� she says.
When someone told her nine years ago that there was something special about her, that she was going to be a change leader, it was a formative moment. 鈥淚f you can do that for a young girl or a young woman, then that鈥檚 really important, because sometimes those small moments make the difference.鈥�
Bianca Peters
鈥淭his is the best time to be here,鈥� Bianca Peters says about women in Squamish.
Peters, executive director of the Downtown Squamish Business Improvement Association, explains there are many businesswomen doing great work in Squamish.
鈥淏efore you want to re-create this community though, get to know who the community is first,鈥� she cautions entrepreneurs. Volunteering, she says, is great for networking, meeting mentors and giving back.
鈥淚f you don鈥檛 give back to the community, the community isn鈥檛 going to give back to you,鈥� she says. 鈥淔ind a non-profit organization or, if there鈥檚 something you鈥檙e very passionate about, create your own... then take that network and build on it to create your business and support system that you need.鈥�
True empowerment, she explains, is having choices. 鈥淚 feel very blessed that I鈥檓 a woman living in Canada. I think we take that for granted,鈥� says Peters, who is a mother and will soon give birth again. 鈥淵ou have to give back because there are women throughout the world who don鈥檛 have the opportunities we do.鈥�
Her advice for local women is to get educated, stand up for yourself, be relevant, authentic and true to yourself. And to become involved 鈥� though not just with placards. 鈥淚f you see an issue鈥nstead of complaining about it, do something about it,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ecause everyone, I can assure you, is here because we all love this place.鈥�
Sandra Wood
One of the challenges Sandra Wood sees many local mothers facing is the pressure to do everything right.聽 Wood, a retired teacher, is a mother and grandmother who speaks from experience.
鈥淭hey put a lot of pressure on themselves to be perfect,鈥� says Wood, who believes all the conflicting information makes life confusing.
She also sees mothers juggling many challenges. 鈥淚 think a lot of women in our community are women who have worked and who would enjoy working and being a mother, but because it鈥檚 a small community, they can鈥檛 find work.鈥�
They end up working part-time, she says, or doing lots of little things. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 hard for women. It鈥檚 exhausting raising children, period, but when you鈥檙e also splitting yourself a lot, it鈥檚 even harder.鈥�
When she was growing up, it was expected that a woman would marry and stop working to raise a family while her husband cared for her. Wood, though, always worked and continued doing so while raising children as a single mom. In Squamish, single-parent families face the ever-increasing cost of rent and child care, she says.
Her wisdom for other women is: 鈥淒ream big! Put it out there... take risks, swallow fear and don鈥檛 settle.鈥� Speak up, she says, and 鈥淔ollow your talents, your passion and always trust your instincts.鈥� And learn to meditate, she adds.
Csilla Kovacs
Csilla Kovacs is a working single parent who is juggling multiple priorities while trying to provide the best life for her daughter. It鈥檚 a real challenge, she says.
鈥淛uggling work, searching for more work, household tasks, and having quality time available can become exhausting鈥�. My daughter is the love of my life. I only want her to be happy, healthy, and given as much opportunity as any other child.鈥�
However, she firmly believes that 鈥渋f women have confidence and determination, they are capable of achieving anything鈥� 鈥� but only if they don鈥檛 sabotage one another, she explains 鈥淲omen could support one another so much more by being open-minded and non-judgmental.鈥�
She says it鈥檚 important for women to seek out like-minded people and to create a supportive network to share thoughts, fears, feelings and struggles 鈥� in confidence.
Her wish for generations to come is: 鈥淭o be more socially conscious of each other, accepting of people, and confident,鈥� which she says would create a strong community and reduce bullying.
To other women, she says: 鈥淜now that true beauty resonates inside鈥�. Do not let fear ever hold you back or keep you down.鈥�
Believe in yourself and in your dreams, she says, and create your own path.
Karen Elliott
Women, Karen Elliott says, are the fabric of this city, and she hopes their collaboration will help shape Squamish鈥檚 future.
鈥淭he more we can come together and listen to what the challenges and opportunities are, the more we will be able to find creative ways to support each other,鈥� says Elliott, a consultant, coach and district councillor.
鈥淢y generation was exposed to a new level of choice. When my mom went through school, career choices were quite limited for women still. There was that expectation that once you got married, your place was still very much in the home.鈥�
Within one generation, suddenly anything was possible 鈥� however, doing it all at once isn鈥檛 without sacrifice, says Elliott, who is a mother of two. 鈥淪o I think my generation is starting to make smarter choices and trying to teach our daughters about how you balance all those wonderful things.鈥�
Though issues such as domestic violence and housing affordability affect women in Squamish, she explains there鈥檚 also a great deal of potential too. 鈥淚 look at the depth and breadth of talent in the women here, and I鈥檓 extremely excited about what is possible.鈥�
The wisdom she鈥檇 like to pass on is to live by your values. 鈥淭hey鈥檒l rarely steer you wrong.鈥� And she adds, 鈥淏e curious more than judgmental about the world鈥� and never stop learning.鈥�
Shannon Lorenz
聽鈥淪quamish is an exciting place right now,鈥� says Shannon Lorenz, who runs the Squamish Mothers in Business support group and is a mother of three. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a ton of collaboration all around us. The talent here is beyond amazing.鈥�
Squamish women, she says, are smart, motivated and healthy, and they want their town to succeed. But adds that a woman can鈥檛 do it alone, so mentorship and collaboration are key. 鈥淔ind your team and learn. Connect, collaborate and inspire each other.鈥�
Finding a balance, she says, can be a challenge, and there鈥檚 pressure to have it all. 鈥淲hen I re-entered the workforce after my first son was born, I mentally and physically could not do it.鈥� Her energetic team worked long hours, but she wanted to be at home for dinner with her family and to put her son to bed. 鈥淚 lasted six months in that role and then took the leap into becoming a consultant. Five years later, I have a ton of flexibility and have achieved what I define as the best work/life balance that I could ask for鈥� though, I鈥檓 looking forward to eventually not working in the evenings.鈥�
Her message for others is: 鈥淭he world is what you make of it. Do what you love, do it with passion and you will live your best life.鈥�
