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    • 'We all pay the price': Survey finds only 9 per cent of girls aspire to be prime minister

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    Fewer than one in 10 girls and young women in Canada say they ever aspire to be prime minister, according to a new report, which chalks up the lack of interest in the federal government’s top job largely to concerns about discrimination and sexism.

    The report — commissioned by children’s rights organization Plan International — also shows just 12 per cent of Canadian girls and young women have an interest in being an elected official, let alone prime minister.

    The Canadian numbers are part of a larger global report, which surveyed nearly 29,000 girls and women aged 15 to 24, from 29 countries, to gauge their level of interest in political participation, and what barriers they say they face in becoming more involved.

    According to Plan International, much of the hesitation comes down to “unchecked gender discrimination, stereotyping and blatant sexism.â€

    “When girls witness the systemic discrimination and abuse our women political leaders face, it can deter those who might have considered engaging in politics otherwise,†said Plan International Canada President and CEO Lindsay Glassco in a press release Tuesday. “In the end, we all pay the price because we are missing out on the valuable contributions of girls and young women to make a positive difference in the world.â€

    When he was first elected in 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to gender parity in cabinet. Now in his third term, the Liberal cabinet is still 50 per cent women. But across party lines, there are 103 female MPs overall, about 30 per cent of the total, compared to 234 men, with one seat currently vacant.

    And currently none of the federal political parties recognized in the House of Commons have a female leader.

    There have been past initiatives in Canada to encourage women to run for office, including a program called Daughter of the Vote, which in 2017 saw a woman from each of Canada’s 338 ridings travel to Ottawa for a week of events, including experiencing a day in the life of an MP, taking their place in the House of Commons, and in some cases delivering speeches on various topics.

    MPs have also studied the barriers facing women when it comes to political engagement, and delivered to eliminate those barriers in 2019.

    The Plan International survey also found about a third of Canadian respondents say they “don’t believe politics is open to young women’s engagement or participation,†while about half believe women in public life “are not treated fairly,†whether because they face abuse and intimidation, or because they’re judged for their appearance.

    Meanwhile, this summer saw several instances of harassment and threats towards Canadian female politicians and journalists, including a viral video of a man verbally harassing Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.

    “Girls and women are not welcome on the political stage, and we need to change that,†Glassco said. “They must see themselves as leaders and political actors and we need their voices. It’s up to all of us to break down the barriers that prevent girls from engaging in political discourse, and it needs to start well before girls reach voting age.â€

    The nine per cent of girls and women who say they aspire to be prime minister — and the 12 per cent who say they aspire to elected office overall — is in stark contrast to the 96 per cent who asserted in the survey that participation in politics is important.

    Still, 94 per cent say the believe girls and women “may face challenges when trying to participate in politics.â€

    Meanwhile, among respondents in the other 28 countries surveyed, the number of women and girls who said they’d consider running for office was doubled compared to Canada, at 24 per cent internationally. And in Canada, 60 per cent said they do not feel confident about being an electoral candidate, versus 50 per cent internationally.

    With files from Â鶹´«Ã½â€™ Sarah Turnbull

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