There are moments when the impetus for change arises simultaneously from a number of different directions, each with its own purpose, but toward a common goal. The increased participation of women in non-traditional jobs is such an issue. This issue is driven by a call to justice and equity for women and by the conviction that women should have equitable access to the best-paying jobs in society. At the same time, the issue is being driven by industry in its quest to secure a competitive labour force advantage in a globalized economy and in light of the looming labour force shortages which will arise from the retirement of the baby-boom generation over the coming decades. Industry can no longer afford to pick the best from among only 50% of the population—it needs access to the full range of the population, regardless of gender, race, or ethnicity. Witnesses made a compelling business case that it makes no sense to exclude half the Canadian population from participation in trades and in technical fields.

A. Equity Argument

As we have seen, women are concentrated in a small number of occupations, and furthermore, these occupations pay less than occupations which are predominantly male. On the one hand, some witnesses identified the need to examine why jobs in predominantly female occupational groups are less remunerated than those which are predominantly male. Pay equity legislation programs and policies provide tools which help to analyze whether jobs of equal value are paid equally. Some witnesses, such as Ms. Patty Ducharme, National Executive Vice-President of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, emphasized the importance of pay equity:

Pay equity, in our opinion, is essential to the full equality of women in our society and ensures that female-dominated jobs, which have historically been undervalued, are paid equally with male-dominated work of equal value.[19]

Given this, the Committee reiterates the importance of proactive pay equity legislation.

Ensuring that predominantly female occupations provide equal pay for work of equal value in comparison to predominantly male occupations takes time, however. As a result, most witnesses emphasized the importance of ensuring that women have equal access to the higher-paying, predominantly male jobs. Ms. Rebecca McDiarmid, president of Canadian Construction Women told the Committee that “[s]pecific reasons why more women should join construction include lucrative wages, particularly when compared to more traditional fields...”[20] Ms. Denise Thomas of the Métis National Council told the Committee that increasing the representation of “women in occupations traditionally dominated by men... will lead to higher employment income for women and close the income gap with men”.[21]

Ms. Theresa Weymouth of the Canadian Auto Workers summarized the key point of the equity argument:

If they [women] are going to work 40 hours in a job, they want to get paid maximum benefits for it. It's as simple as that. We're at an economic stage right now where women are doing it for the money and the security.[22]

B. The Business Case for Diversity

The looming labour force shortage as the baby-boom generation retires has been well documented. The Conference Board of Canada has predicted a skilled labour force deficit in Canada of 1.2 million by 2025. This is driven in part by the growth of the natural resource and construction sector projects—sectors where women remain dramatically under-represented in non-traditional roles. The Committee also heard that the Chief Economist of the Royal Bank of Canada has identified the under-representation of women as a significant cost to the Canadian economy.[23]

The Committee heard from sectors and regions which already are facing serious labour force shortages which are forcing them to explore ways to attract women. Newfoundland and Labrador is predicting skilled labour shortages “in the short term, with upcoming large-scale resource-based projects in our province. When these projects peak in approximately 2015, the demand for workers is expected to far exceed the supply of workers”.[24]

Although there are now more women in the mining sector, Ms. Mary Ann Mihychuk, President of Women in Mining Canada pointed out the mineral industry is anticipating “a human resources crisis, estimated to be 60,000 workers by 2017. Of this total, potentially 900 positions annually are likely to be filled by post‑secondary graduates and immigration. An increasing number of jobs left by the growing skill shortage in the industry could be filled by women”.[25]

Faced with increased competition among employers for skilled workers, organizations are recognizing the importance of staying competitive with other employers in order to attract new staff and retain existing staff.

In addition to the demographic and economic arguments above, witnesses noted advantages which had been identified in organizations and sectors which have hired more women. Witnesses noted that diversity policies can result in increased innovation potential as employers access a broader base of talent. They presented research which indicates that companies with the highest representation of women directors outperformed those with the lowest representation.[26]

Witnesses also provided anecdotal evidence of how the presence of women on the job site provides unanticipated benefits to the industry, pointing out that with women:

[T]here are fewer confrontations on site, fewer incidences of fighting... people seem to be more productive, looking towards resolution-based problem solving as opposed to trying to win. Women tend to have a better safety ethic… Increasing the number of women in an organization will broaden the perspective when it does come to problem solving, just in the different ways that men and women think.[27]

In summary, effectively addressing diversity provides access to wider pools of labour, increased performance for businesses, and can potentially bring unanticipated benefits to employers.