A researcher at the University of Toronto is currently seeking new moms for a research project looking at how they are dealing with the climate crisis.
Master of Environment and Sustainability student Sawyer Bailly is behind the project for her thesis, alongside her supervisor, professor Hanna Morris, with the hopes to uncover the everyday challenges that come with global warming while living in Toronto.
WOMEN AND MOMS KNOW BEST
“I knew that I wanted to do something at the intersection of gender, climate change and care. Last summer, a relative of mine got sick very quickly, and the women in my family really sprang into action to take on a lot of the care-related tasks- cooking, cleaning, bathing, emotional support,” Bailly told Now Toronto.
“This was around the same time as my home province of Nova Scotia was getting hit by flooding, wildfires and heat waves, and the immediate reality and stressors of climate change were becoming harder to ignore,” she added.
According to Bailly, emotions and anxieties were running high for a lot of reasons and it quickly struck her how interconnected care and climate change are.
“We were very lucky to have a big, close extended family nearby to support one another. Networks of care, within our families and broader communities are critical when things feel like they’re falling apart a bit,” she shared.
She points out that research shows children, pregnant people, the elderly and people with chronic illnesses or disabilities are the most vulnerable in a climate event and require extra support.
And that Black, Indigenous and low-income communities and mothers get hit first, and worst.
“I decided to focus on the experiences of new mothers, and the unique care they undertake, because I think there are important and interesting intersections to draw between care, the climate crisis and reproductive justice, specifically the right to birth and raise kids in safe, healthy and caring environments in a changing climate,” she said.
In fact, last summer, pregnant women and new mothers across Canada were told by government officials and doctors to take proper shelter and stay indoors to protect themselves and their babies from wildfire smoke.
But Bailly believes these notices were sent out without being accompanied by “comprehensive support,” which made it “pretty unhelpful” by adding another layer of blame to those who decided to have babies.
That’s why she’s hoping to uncover how extreme weather events, pollution, and rising food costs are changing the daily routines, challenges and emotions of new mothers.
PEOPLE DON’T WANT KIDS ANYMORE?
It’s no secret that people are rethinking their plans to have children due to economic uncertainty and the state of the world, environmentally speaking.
Bailly agrees that it’s a sad reality even Toronto residents are facing each and every day, especially with the added stress due to a shortage of affordable childcare spaces.
“Conversations about whether or not to have children are definitely something I hear a lot of, especially within my own social circle as a woman in my twenties. There are plenty of things to feel anxious about- climate change and the rising cost of living make the future feel scary and uncertain. Having children or not having children is a very personal decision,” she said.
“I think that there are a lot of valid reasons to be hesitant about having children right now or to decide not to. I also think that, if they wish to do so, everyone should be able to have children and raise their families in safe, healthy and caring environments.”
If you are interested in participating in this study and receiving $70 for your input, click here.
The deadline to submit your application is Apr. 7.
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