FEWO Committee Report

On February 12, 2009, the Standing Committee on the Status of Women agreed to study the effects and consequences of the Employment Insurance (EI) program on women. The Committee devoted ten meetings to the study during which we heard from a range of witnesses including women’s organizations, academics and departmental officials.

Since its inception, the Committee has been concerned with women’s economic and income security. This study builds on our prior work and recommendations including our 2007 report, Improving the Economic Security of Women: Time to Act[1] and our 2005 report, Interim Report on the Maternity and Parental Benefits under Employment Insurance: the Exclusion of Self-Employed Workers.[2]

Our present report begins with an overview of the current EI program. This is followed by a discussion of women’s labour market realities and employment patterns. The third chapter addresses the EI program’s effects on women and various concerns raised by witnesses. It discusses improvements that can be made to the EI program in order to address women’s specific labour market realities and caregiving and family responsibilities.[3]