‘We’re left to fight for scraps’: Underfunding of community sector leaves majority-female workforce exhausted
Nonprofits and charities that make up the community sector perform essential work, but underfunding has left their majority-female workforce exhausted.
That was the message from an advocacy group that demonstrated in the provincial capital on International Women’s Day, calling on governments to invest more in the community sector.
“We’re left to fight for scraps of money among each other,” said Elise Pelletier, communications officer and political analyst for the Moncton-based Regroupement féministe du Nouveau-Brunswick.
Women make up 80 percent of the workforce in nonprofits and charities, according to a 2020 report (PDF link) published by the Canadian Women’s Foundation.
It’s an area of the economy that provides essential caring work but which is “funded through an inadequate model consisting of unpredictable individual donations and gifts, earned income, and government service and project contracts,” the report states.
Many of the services provided by the community sector affect the well-being and survival of women struggling with issues like homelessness or domestic abuse.
Groups such as Crossroads for Women — which operates an emergency shelter in Moncton for women, trans and non-binary people and their children — saw a surge in reports of domestic violence after COVID-19 resulted in lockdowns beginning in March 2020.
“It’s quite worrying for us to witness that, and to see a provincial government raking in a surplus, while we know specifically which organizations need more funds,” Pelletier said. … Continue