Women 60 and over vastly outnumbered by men on Quebec’s campaign trail

Anne Latendresse retired from her job as a university professor and researcher in June. But instead of taking time to relax, the 65-year-old jumped right into a new challenge: running as a candidate for left-wing party Québec solidaire in the Oct. 5 election.

Latendresse says the timing was right. Her 26-year-old son is not only grown, but serving as her campaign manager. She also felt like her 25-year career in the Université du Québec à Montréal’s geography department, as well as involvement with social movements and non-profit organizations, had given her the skills and confidence needed to make the leap.

“I’m coming in with a sense of maturity and greater depth of knowledge,” she said in a recent interview at her campaign headquarters in the Maurice-Richard riding north of downtown Montreal. “I think it’s a good time for me to champion issues, push initiatives forward, and develop expertise.”

While Latendresse has good reasons to enter politics in her 60s, her choice is less common for women of her age.

Data from Élections Québec shows that 42.6 per cent of the candidates running in the provincial election are women. However, men outnumber women nearly two to one among candidates 60 and older, with 104 men to 58 women.

Valérie Caron, the executive director of a non-profit group that promotes parity between women and men in politics, says there could be several reasons for the underrepresentation of older women.

She said legislatures have only started nearing parity in recent years, which means older women have had fewer examples to follow. “It’s possible that women of 60 and older didn’t project themselves in that kind of role, since the role models were really limited,” she said in a phone interview.

She also notes that women generally have to be recruited in order to run, which raises questions about whether parties are approaching candidates in that age group.

Coalition Avenir Québec candidate Sonia Bélanger says ageism is an unfortunate reality in politics. “It’s very easy to do, I’ve seen it,” the outgoing health minister said in a phone interview. “I noticed certain things — not directed at me, not at my level, but toward colleagues.”

Bélanger decided to run for office in 2022 after a career spent mainly as a manager and administrator in the public health system. Like Latendresse, the now-65 year-old believes it was the right moment to run, with her two children grown and her career at its peak.

“I feel like I’m in better shape than when I was 40,” Bélanger said.

She also believes women still face more scrutiny than men, whether as managers or politicians.

“If a woman speaks loudly during a debate, people say she’s shouting,” Bélanger said. “If she tries to assert herself, they say she’s interrupting others. But that never happens with men.”

Caron’s group works with women to help develop the skills and confidence they need to run for office. But she also advocates for broader change, including the adoption of a law that would require parties to select a certain percentage of female candidates. She also pushes parties to name women in ridings that are considered winnable.

In recent years, politicians of all stripes have faced a surge of online hate and threats. While that can turn some people away from running, Caron says the main reason female politicians leave office is because they feel like their skills aren’t being used to the fullest.

Bélanger agrees that this is an important motivation. Since being elected in 2022, she’s served in a number of cabinet posts that use her expertise, including in the health, social services and seniors and caregivers portfolios.

Bélanger credits former premier François Legault’s choice to elevate women to top jobs — including current Premier Christine Fréchette — as part of the reason why 54 per cent of the Coalition Avenir Québec’s candidates are women.

Québec solidaire, which has an even higher percentage of female candidates at 59 per cent, also has a woman, Ruba Ghazal, as co-spokesperson and choice for premier.

Caron, Latendresse and Bélanger all believe that it’s important to have women of all ages in politics, and believe that older women have important expertise, experience and energy to share.

Latendresse says she’s happily spending 12 hours per day on her campaign, filling her days with debates, meet-and-greets, and canvassing by phone and door-to-door.

Bélanger says her time in government has made her believe more strongly than ever in the value of female leadership skills, including a tendency to seek dialogue and collaboration rather than conflict.

While she’s happy to see so many young women entering politics, she believes older women also need to take their place.

“Politics is the right place to keep moving initiatives forward and to serve the public well,” she said. “I believe that women aged 60 and over certainly have a place in government.”