Racialized Women in Canada: Is COVID-19 the Turning Point to More Equality?

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to show that currently, the most important issue in gender and politics in Canada is the disproportionate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on racialized women. I use critical-race feminist theory and Dr. Kimberle Crenshaw’s concept of ‘intersectionality’ to evaluate Canadian case studies that demonstrate my argument. Racialized women face unique challenges which neither racism nor sexism can sufficiently address, and I argue that these challenges have been worsened due to the pandemic. This topic is important because, in the midst of the pandemic, it can be easy to disregard or forget the injustices experienced by racialized women. However, by revealing the direct impacts of the pandemic on such women, this paper brings attention to these injustices and advocates for more equality in Canadian society.