The mayor’s office shouldn’t be a men’s club — but where are all the women?

553,200 reach | Reprinted Georgia Straight, May 24

Just one-fifth of mayors in Canadian municipalities are women. Our research reveals candidates must navigate a labyrinth of gendered stereotypes.

The mayor’s office shouldn’t be a men’s club.

Municipal politics remains a masculinized space in Canada, particularly for mayors — the most prominent, prestigious and powerful position on council. The data shows that just one-fifth of mayors in Canadian municipalities are women.

One reason for the dearth of women mayors in Canada is that women simply don’t run. This is especially true in larger municipalities. A recent study of mayoral elections between 2006 and 2017 in Canada’s 100 largest cities shows just 16 per cent of the candidates were women. In 44 per cent of these elections, there wasn’t a single woman candidate.

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