As International Women’s Day approaches, Christa Hill, co-founder of Calgary-based tech education company Tacit Edge, is choosing to abstain from celebrations, criticizing them as superficial displays that create a false sense of progress. She believes such events foster the illusion that corporate Canada is actively addressing gender disparities when, in reality, the progress remains volatile.
Hill and other women in the tech industry argue that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts should be continuous and integrated across corporate structures rather than limited to annual celebrations. They fear that if DEI remains performative, progress will not just stall but regress. This concern has intensified amid a significant rollback in DEI initiatives across North America, exacerbated by U.S. political shifts and corporations scaling back diversity programs.
Major companies like Goldman Sachs, Google, McDonald’s, and Shopify have been retreating from DEI commitments, with Shopify notably removing diversity-related content from its website. Many former DEI staff members at these companies have departed, raising concerns about the future of workplace equity.
April Hicke, co-founder of the women’s tech collective Toast, has also chosen to forego Women’s Day events, citing their lack of systemic impact. Her organization now prioritizes internal initiatives over unpaid appearances at events that predominantly attract female audiences rather than decision-makers who hold the power to enact real change.
Laura Gabor, founder of inclusivity group What in the Tech? and air purification company Ecologicca, shares this sentiment. She highlights the increasing gender pay gap in Canada’s tech sector, which nearly tripled between 2016 and 2021. Gabor argues that Women’s Day events are ineffective if companies fail to address fundamental issues like wage disparities.
Her frustration culminated in an open letter released in February, which has since amassed nearly 1,100 signatures. The letter warns that neglecting DEI efforts risks consolidating power among a small, homogeneous group of business leaders who prioritize profit over equality.
Shopify, which has been criticized for both its retreat from DEI and its delayed response to controversial merchandise on its platform, has further fueled concerns. The company’s leadership has also engaged with Build Canada, an initiative that has released 11 policy papers—none authored by women.
For Hill, the financial and time costs of attending International Women’s Day events, estimated at $8,400 over six years, have contributed to her decision to step back. She argues that these events reinforce a corporate playbook that offers symbolic gestures rather than real solutions.
“When someone wants to create some kind of change, the playbook is to give them a day and then (women) get flowers,” said Hill. “Keep the flowers. I don’t need them and can buy my own but give me equal pay instead.”
Source: Swifteradio.com
