The right to housing is more than just a roof over one’s head. It is the right to safe, affordable and permanent housing. Survivors living in violent situations are experiencing a violation to their right to housing. Survivors are also at a high risk of homelessness and face a range of barriers to obtaining housing.

This infographic highlights the connections between right to housing, violence against women and homelessness.

Violations of the right to housing are largely gendered, with women and gender-diverse people more likely to experience inadequate housing and homelessness. The right to housing is defined as all individuals having the right to safe and adequate housing. As such, women living in violent homes are also experiencing a direct violation of their right to housing.

This issue brief explores the connections between the right to housing and violence against women. The brief looks at the connections between homelessness and violence and the key barriers to survivors obtaining safe, adequate and permanent housing.

Intimate partner violence is directly connected to women’s economic security, including survivors’ employment and career progression. Studies show that intimate partner violence is associated with job instability and job loss. Furthermore, the barriers to employment for some survivors is compounded by structural discrimination.

This literature review explores existing research on the relationship between employment and intimate partner violence, with a focus on the experience of racialized survivors. It examines the impact of intimate partner violence on employment stability, the barriers faced by survivors in the workplace and the impact of structural racism on racialized survivors’ employment. Lastly, the review looks at promising practices for supporting survivors to access and sustain employment.

The rise of the #MeToo movement has shifted dramatically society’s awareness of gender and sexual harassment, but global rates of gender and sexual harassment remain high. While there are many contributing factors, time and time again male-dominated workplaces are found to have higher rates of workplace gender and sexual harassment than spaces that have greater gender parity. This is particularly important for STEM fields, where women are a low percentage of the workforce.

This literature review explores the knowledge available on the subject of preventing and responding to gender and sexual harassment in the workplace, with a focus on STEM workplaces. It explores strategies for workplace prevention, training and response systems in addition to examples of best practices.

Employment sabotage and disruption can include tactics to prevent a survivor from working as well as making it difficult for a survivor to maintain work. These tactics can be used both outside of the workplace and in the workplace.

This infographic introduces the definition of employment sabotage, examples of employment sabotage and workplace responses.

Intimate partner violence can have a significant impact on women’s economic security and employment. It can lead to job instability and loss. This can be because of poor mental health, trauma, relocation and sabotage by an abusive partner. For racialized women with experiences of intimate partner violence, this can be compounded by structural barriers and racism.

WomanACT consulted organizations that serve survivors of intimate partner violence and organizations that specialize in employment services for women on the barriers faced by organizations and survivors. The report explores what we heard from services providers, including their ideas for advancing survivors economic security and employment.

Most of the housing options for women experiencing intimate partner violence have something in common: they place the onus on women to leave home in order to reach safety. As a result, survivors of intimate partner violence routinely face housing instability, homelessness, and significant life disruptions in areas like employment, education and social connections.

This research report draws on qualitative data gathered through surveys, interviews and focus groups with survivors. The report explores survivors’ housing options and preferences when fleeing violence. The report also discusses the policies, programs and practices that support women to remain in their own home or independent housing when leaving a violent relationship.

Most of the housing options for women fleeing violence have something in common: they place the onus on women to leave home in order to reach safety. However, policies and programs that prioritize women’s independence can instead enable women to stay safely in their own homes. This shift in practice is a step forward in holding perpetrators accountable for their violence and limiting the consequences for survivors.

This literature review synthesizes the evidence on supporting women to remain safely in their home when leaving a violent relationship. It explores policy and program approaches from other jurisdictions, evaluation findings on the intervention’s outcomes and challenges, and promising practices that can broaden housing solutions for violence against women.

The Supporting Safe STEM Workplaces project is working to improve access to legal supports and resources for victims of sexual harassment in STEM industry workplaces across Canada.

Sexual harassment is a prevalent issue across Canada that permeates into places of work. In the workplace it can negatively impact productivity and motivation, increase stress, and increase the likelihood of employees leaving their jobs. In response to the high rates of sexual harassment in STEM workplaces, the project will work with STEM industry partners to better understand the needs, barriers, and opportunities related to preventing and responding to sexual harassment.

WomanACT is partnered with the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology to provide tailored support and training to help workplaces prevent sexual harassment, develop comprehensive policy, establish trauma-informed reporting mechanisms and develop avenues for resolution and referral pathways to support.

Publications:

Literature Review: Safe STEM Workplaces

Financial well-being has a significant impact on women’s safety. Women’s economic insecurity can marginalize women, increasing their risk of victimization. It is also a barrier to their safety. Financial hardship after leaving an abusive relationship is a near universal experience for survivors.

This submission highlights the connections between women’s financial literacy, economic security and violence against women. The submission proposes recommendations to the National Strategy for Financial Literacy in Canada on how to help close the financial literacy gender gap in Canada while also working to promote women’s financial independence and safety.