SAADIA MUZAFFAR
RESPONSIBLE INNOVATION / DECENT WORK / IMMIGRANT TALENT
How do we ensure highly-skilled immigrant women get to participate equitably in building Canada's burgeoning STEM sectors?
While Canada has been great at attracting a highly skilled talent pool, we have substantially failed at benefitting from their expertise, especially when it comes to migrant women skilled in STEM. If Canada’s gender diversity in STEM education and labour participation has been steadily discouraging for the last 30 years, it is in large part because we have not focused on addressing the issues around integrating their skills into the specific workforces where they belong.
How can technology organizations ensure they attract & retain top talent?
Fortune Magazine editor Ellen McGirt says, "If I could pick one person who has helped shaped my thinking about diversity and inclusion, it’s Saadia Muzaffar, tech entrepreneur and founder of TechGirls Canada. She and her team have put together a new report called Change Together, an extraordinary resource for anyone who wants to help a company (or a division, frankly) to be more inclusive and productive."
How can world economies create opportunities for women in science and technology fields?
APEC is a dynamic engine of economic growth for its
21 member economies including giants such as USA, Canada, China, Russia and emerging nations like Papua New Guinea and Peru. Member economies are home to around 2.8 billion people and represent approximately 59 per cent of world GDP and 49 per cent of world trade in 2015.
The APEC Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) initiative arises from the APEC Women in the Economy Dashboard, powering re
search, dialogue, and synthesis to create
Women in STEM framework, organizing the challenges across key issues of
(1) the Enabling Environment;
(2) Education;
(3) Employment; and (4) Entrepreneurship
How do we inspire & nurture young girls to explore science & technology careers?
Being featured as Ms. Chatelaine in one of Canada's top lifestyle magazines and getting to be a role model to these young kids of colour is the real driving force for so much of Saadia's work. If she can see it, she can be it. “When you’re a young girl, you’re not looking to pick fights with the world,” she says. “But take chances — become a different person than who you’re told to be.”
@girlscrackcode Two who agree with your idea of taking chances and never being told who to be.
How do we ensure that we achieve pay equity across the board within our lifetimes?
CNN Money wrote,
"
Muzaffar, a force in Canada's tech scene who kicked off our 15 Questions series, said it was "crystallizing" when she found out that her male colleagues were making so much more than she was.
"It literally changed my life," said Muzaffar.
It drove her belief that pay transparency is essential to solving the pay gap."
How do we celebrate and support each other in our fight for equal rights?
The Badass Feminist Coloring book is a righteous celebration of modern-day feminists. Featuring 40 badass feminists and bonus essays on feminism, this book is a bundle of intersectional feminist awesomeness.
How do the stories we tell shape our worldview?
Dark Horse Comics' new anthology will include work from the best and brightest creators in comics, illustration, and prose. Edited by Hope Nicholson, Saadia's words and art join work from Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid's Tale), Gabby Rivera (America), Hope Larson (Batgirl), and Amy Chu (Wonder Woman) and many others. February 2018.
How can we create safe spaces online to connect, learn, and grow through?
For International Women's Day 2017, The Internet Society's theme was Celebrating Persistence through their #ShineTheLight campaign - featuring international leaders whose work is making the internet safer for all.
How are the voices of women changing discourse around work and impact in the age of social media?
"One of the places where that change has been swift is on social media, where without the constraints of traditional platforms, diverse voices can connect. It’s where you’ll find tech entrepreneur Saadia Muzaffar, former Toronto mayoral candidate Morgan Baskin, writer Septembre Anderson, consultant Steph Guthrie, trans advocate Sophia Banks and Shamelessmagazine editor Sheila Sampath."
Lauren Strapagiel for Postmedia
How do we effect measurable change in the visibility of the leadership and participation of women within creative industries around the globe?
Over 140 women from the advertising, design and digital fields attended the Canadian launch of the Let’s Make the Industry 50/50 Initiative, a bold movement founded by the Art Directors Club in New York (ADC) with a goal of elevating the awareness of talented and qualified women among the senior ranks of the creative industry around the world.
How can we inspire youth with role models in science & technology who represent the beautiful, diverse Canada we see everyday?
The TGC campaign #PortraitsOfStrength featured Canadian women in STEM who have helped break barriers and achieved great things within their industry. These are the movers and shakers making a better world for future leaders in STEM. Featuring stories of how they’re changing the ratio, serving as role models for girls and young women across Canada, and inspiring us all!