Little Black Dress Initiative

31 Mar Little Black Dress Initiative

The Junior League of Calgary launched its Little Black Dress Initiative on March 1. The kickoff event was held at The Derrick Gin Bar.  The Little Black Dress Campaign, initially launched in February 2014 by the Junior League of London, is a week-long, social media driven fundraising campaign that uses the iconic little black dress o raise awareness about poverty and its effects on women in society.  As part of the Junior League Calgary Little Black Dress initiative, the JLC is collecting female hygiene items to support friends at The Alex, The Calgary Drop-In Centre and Highbanks Society.

Did you know the following?

1. In 2015, feminine hygiene products stopped being taxed (GST). Prior to then, under Canada’s tax system feminine hygiene products were not considered “non-essential”. Some products that are considered essential include wedding cakes, Viagra and cocktail cherries.
2. A box of tampons or pads cost approximately $10 in Canada. Assuming a woman spends $20 a month on feminine hygiene products, which adds up to $240 a year. For women with low incomes, this is a significant amount and often means choosing between transportation (bus passes), food and other essentials.
3. As many as 235,000 Canadians experience homelessness in a year, with women accounting for 27 per cent. (The State of Homelessness in Canada, 2016)
4. Women are more likely to struggle with poverty. Women make up 61.7% of low-wage workers in Alberta. In 2015, 182,700 women earned less than $15/hour in the province.
5. On any given day, more than 800 million people around the world are menstruating, and at least 5 million of those lack adequate resources for supplies or facilities for managing their periods.