Rankin Inlet (Aug 02/06) - About a dozen men and women attended a meeting at the Siniktarvik Hotel in Rankin Inlet this past week to provide feedback to a Pauktuutit Inuit Womens Association project examining gender equality in Nunavut.

The Gender and Decision-Making in Arctic Fisheries and Wildlife project was facilitated by Joanna Kafarowski, a research associate with the Canadian Circumpolar Institute and a project co-ordinator with Pauktuutit.

Kafarowski was aided by research assistant Donna Adams of Rankin Inlet.

The goal of the program is to get more Inuit women in decision-making positions, especially within local Hunter and Trapper Organizations (HTO).

Pauktuutit also hopes to empower women in the community to take on their own research agenda by employing research assistants and translators in each community it's working in. "Training and capacity building are part of the project and, by working with us, women are acquiring the skills that will enable them to work in this capacity if they so choose," said Kafarowski.

The project also emphasizes both national and international networking opportunities.

Similar projects were undertaken by Greenland and Norway, and Pauktuutit is trying to expand upon some of the similarities and dissimilarities that exist between indigenous women across the circumpolar region.

Pauktuutit contacted each HTO board in Nunavut to request permission to conduct research in their communities.

Once the boards gave their approval - some did not - a licence was issued by the Nunavut Research Institute and Pauktuutit hired and trained research assistants in the communities. "The assistants were responsible for identifying current and past HTO board members and going through the questionnaire with them.

"We examined how members actually got on the board, how they feel about women being on an HTO board and what constraints does a woman face when she decides to be on the board?"

Once the research is concluded, the findings will be presented at Pauktuutit's annual general meeting.

Kafarowski said participants will then bring the findings home to present them to their hamlet councils, HTO boards and on public radio.

"Pauktuutit is taking more of an active role in linking information to the HTOs and their communities, especially during election time when people are more aware."

One woman who attended the Rankin meeting had a message she'd like to see delivered.

Alice Ipkornerk told the gathering too many male HTO board members don't believe women belong in decision-making positions.

"Too many of them think women are just supposed to stay home," said Ipkornerk.

"They discourage us when we become interested in getting involved, but many women are better decision makers than men.

"The community would be a lot stronger if more women were encouraged to take part in decision-making groups."