Thriving Mothers, Stronger Nation – Gender Equality Week 2025 Recap
- Amy Robichaud
- Sep 26
- 2 min read
Gender Equality Week takes place each year during the third week of September. It is an opportunity to recognize the immense gains and work towards gender equality in Canada and to reflect and plan for the work that continues. For Mothers Matter Canada, Gender Equality Week 2025 was an opportunity to profile our work and thought leadership as we continue to build a Canada where all mothers thrive.
We partnered with The Prosperity Project and Informed Perspectives to host the largest Gender Equality Week reception in Ottawa, funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada, with over 150 Members of Parliament, Senators, Public Servants, Political Staff, Sector Leaders, and Gender Equality Supporters in attendance.
The event was a great example of the lens women and mothers bring to leadership and our communities – collaborating and pooling resources and voices to elevate everyone.
We also participated in an intimate policy roundtable on Parliament Hill with representatives from the Prime Minister's Office, Women and Gender Equality Canada, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, and the Department of Finance Canada, where CEO Amy Robichaud articulated the necessity and strength of mother’s contributions to the economy:
Mothers contribute billions through paid work, unpaid care, and raising the next generation of talent. Yet, policy gaps mean they are often underpaid, underemployed, and undervalued. Investing in mothers is not charity, it is smart economics.
A secure, thriving, and resilient economy requires social cohesion – shared bonds, unity, and a sense of belonging that hold a society or community together, allowing members to participate and cooperate despite their differences.
Social cohesion is the glue that binds people to each other and to the group as a whole, fostering trust, solidarity, and a commitment to the common good. This glue is needed to reduce the burden of formal government support programs, to rouse and sustain the willingness of Canadians to hold fast in hard times, and to create the social conditions that drive workforce productivity and business innovation.
It is often the emotional and physical labour of women, and in particular mothers, that maintains social cohesion. When they are experiencing violence, scarcity, hardship, and adversity, society as a whole suffers.
Simply put, mothers must thrive for our economy, our society, and our nation to thrive.
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