Squamish women are pooling together.
The Squamish Women Connecting and Howe Sound Women's Centre joined forces to create the "next generation" in a speaker series aimed at business and life challenges women may face.
"I think women have a unique set of circumstances and a unique set of constraints," said Sheila Allen, the women's centre's executive director.
The 2011 National Household Survey, which was released this summer, noted that for women aged 25 to 34, education levels exceeded those of men in the same age bracket - 73.7 per cent of women had post-secondary degrees, certificates or diplomas compared to 64.7 per cent of men. However, Statistics Canada also reported women still earn less than men on average.
Since 2009, Squamish's women's networking organization has hosted events for local businesswomen to learn, share stories, connect to other Squamish residents and overcome obstacles.
"We know that through this evolution to become a part of the Howe Sound Women's Centre, the opportunities and momentum of speaker series networking events will be extraordinarily enhanced," the co-founders of the networking group - Amber Kirk, Lisa Princic and Erica Rigik -wrote in a statement.
The women's centre wants to increase its membership and offer services to a broader demographic, Allen said. The speaker series, which will focus on everything from inspiring life journeys to career coaching and parenting, was a natural fit, she said.
"We hope to be a leading resource in providing women with proactive and practical tools needed to realize their true potential," Allen said.
Bi-monthly networking events will be held throughout Squamish. The first workshop announcement is to take place in the coming weeks. For more information visit www.hswc.ca.
