Partner Spotlight: Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (CRIAW-ICREF) 

The Live Work Well Research Centre (LWWRC) is pleased to highlight one of its partners, the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women-Institut canadien de recherches sur les femmes (CRIAW-ICREF).   

CRIAW-ICREF is the only bilingual, feminist institute in Canada dedicated to research. Since the organization began in 1976, it been committed to researching and documenting the various economic and social situations of Canadian women. In their research, CRIAW-ICREF emphasizes the use of feminist and intersectional frameworks to account for the diverse identities they study. Their main initiative is to provide resources for activists and organizations who seek to advance social justice and equality for women.  

CRIAW-ICREF has been a long-time partner of the LWWRC. Between 2010 and 2016, Jane Stinson of CRIAW-ICREF and Deborah Stienstra, director of LWWRC, co-led the Feminist Northern Network (FemNorthNet).  

This research project examined the consequences of economic restructuring for diverse women in northern Canadian communities. Partners included northern and southern community organizations, Indigenous and settler women, and researchers and women of the community. Working together, CRIAW-ICREF and LWWRC supported Northern women in making decisions about the changes in their communities and helped amplify female voices in discussions, decision making, and planning processes for the future of Northern communities.   

Since then, members of CRIAW-ICREF and LWWRC have collaborated on reports including Harnessing the potential for a more equitable future in Newfoundland and Labrador: Applying Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) to offshore wind development and Gender-based analysis plus in offshore wind development: Data and community engagement strategies for a more equitable future for Nova Scotians.  

To learn more about CRIAW-ICREF, visit their website.