What stops women from publicly sharing their opinion?

The all-access, always-on nature of the internet and its many platforms make it a place of unlimited potential — both positive and negative.

As a portal for public dialogue, online conversations — particularly those on social media platforms like Facebook and X — are places of high accessibility and low accountability. We’ve all seen what happens when a thread on X deviates from the initial topic and devolves into name-calling, harassment and even personal threats.

In today’s digital world, the high potential for cyber-attacks and public slander discourages many from contributing to online conversations at all.

In June 2023, Canada Powered by Women conducted research to better understand the barriers women face when it comes to joining the energy conversation. We learned that engaged women avoid sharing their opinions publicly for fear of being targeted online, having their voice shut down and/or facing backlash without being able to make an impact or change.

Simply put, engaged women have an informed voice, but the potential rewards of sharing it publicly don’t outweigh the many risks.

That’s a big part of why we exist.

We know engaged women represent 5.6 million voices across Canada. They understand the connection between the economy and energy and want a voice in the conversation.

To facilitate this, Canada Powered by Women provides anonymity and support for women interested in sharing their perspectives on energy policy and the energy transformation. We do this through research, surveys, conversations and interviews where we collect the data, anonymize it and share it back in the public domain.

Our research shows that 69 per cent of women are likely to share their opinions on what contributes to the economic success or prosperity of Canada beyond a circle of family when they have anonymity and support.

Without anonymity and support, that number drops to 37 per cent.

“Canada Powered by Women exists to facilitate bold conversations and amplify the voices of engaged women to our country’s policymakers and media,” says Tracey Bodnarchuk, CEO of Canada Powered by Women. “The anonymity and support we provide allows women to overcome the barriers we identified in our research and safely share their opinions on the energy-related topics that shape the future success and prosperity of our country.”