The under-representation of women in some occupations is the result of a complex series of factors. There are a number of points in a woman’s life, education and career where she will make decisions and choices which affect whether or not she will enter and pursue non-traditional jobs such as those in engineering, technology and trades. In order to increase the participation of women in non-traditional jobs, witnesses identified a variety of strategies which need to be put in place to make it possible for girls and women to imagine themselves in a non-traditional occupation; for them to access and succeed in training for those jobs; and to find and keep jobs in those fields.

A. Making an Occupational Choice: Overcoming Stereotypes

The occupational choices which women make are strongly influenced by factors such as culture, family and school.[28] Witnesses consistently emphasized that it takes a deliberate effort to counter societal expectations which are so ingrained in the messages girls and women receive from the media, their families, and other significant persons such as teachers and guidance counsellors.

The toys girls play with and the messages they receive in the media still provide traditional views of the roles of girls and women. The Committee has heard that these messages are powerful and can have significant impacts on the choices they make for their future. Ms. Wendy Cukier, Associate Dean of the Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University, provided a very telling example of the different ways boys and girls assess their skills. Talking about standardized testing in grade three, among seven- and eight-year-old children, she told the Committee that:

Little girls outperform little boys in both mathematics and in English, but when they are asked, “Are you good at mathematics? Are you good at English?”, little boys are more likely to say yes. That confidence gap has an enormous impact on the choices that young girls make, that mature women make.[29]

These stereotypes apply to women as well as to girls:

There's this perception and it's holding us back in a lot of ways. I think we have to open our minds. Women can do various physically challenging positions. We've proven that we can do it. I think that's the biggest barrier, changing perceptions...[30]

The Committee agrees with witnesses that girls and women have to begin to dream and imagine themselves in non-traditional roles before they grow up to pursue those roles. The first step is debunking the stereotypes and communicating to girls and women the true nature of the work in these non-traditional jobs, and providing them with concrete experiences which allow them to see that they have the aptitude to do those jobs.

B. Debunking Stereotypes

While some of the stereotypes are specific to women, the Committee also heard that some professions, such as those in the skilled trades, suffer from a perception that it is better to get a university education.

There's still this whole issue out there that going to university is the thing to do. There's some sort of stigma, almost, about the trades, which is still an issue we're dealing with in terms of getting young men to go into the trades and to complete their education. That's probably even more pronounced for young women in that regard.[31]

Witnesses have identified the need to counter this negative perception of skilled trades. One way of doing this is by exposing students to the benefits of work in the skilled trades, and by exposing them to hands-on activities early in life. Yet, the Committee has heard that in some parts of Canada, trade or shop classes have lost favour and have in many cases been cut altogether, because of cost factors or risk of injury to students. Mr. Christopher Smillie, Policy Analyst, Government and Regulatory Affairs, Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO told the Committee that “[i]n Austria and Germany, where students have significant exposure to these competencies, the participation rate in apprenticeships is much higher than it is in Canada, the U.S., or Australia”.[32]

While there are misconceptions about work in the skilled trades which apply to both women and men, women face embedded gender stereotypes which make it even more difficult for them to consider working in non-traditional areas. Addressing these will require sustained attention and effort by many stakeholders—unions, employers, women’s groups, and governments. While it is outside of the purview of the federal government to change all of these images, the Committee has heard that the federal government should lead the way by ensuring that its publicity regarding jobs and training contain images of women in non-traditional jobs. Given the power of advertising and media to shape public perceptions:

1.  The Committee recommends that all federal government publicity relating to training and jobs undergo a gender-based analysis on an ongoing basis to ensure that women are portrayed in a wide range of non‑traditional jobs.

C. Providing Information and Hands-on Experiences

Women and girls who are aware of the benefits of working in non-traditional occupations are in a better position to make informed choices about their job options. Many witnesses echoed the observation of Ms. Sylvie Émond, Adult education and vocational training commissioner at the Commission scolaire de Laval that “the reasons for which women choose to enter trades which are traditionally male-dominated are not different from those of men”. Witnesses have suggested that:

Many women choose to enter a trade because they prefer manual work, they wish to engage in physical work, they wish to create things with their hands, and they need a job in which they can move around. They are looking for concrete rather than theoretical work and they feel at ease working in a male environment. Other reasons why girls and women choose to enter a trade are relatively short training periods, high salaries and good job prospects.[33]

The Committee has heard that too many women and girls are not encouraged to consider non-traditional jobs.

At the high school level guidance counsellors play a key role in helping young women set directions for their future, yet the Committee has heard that there are too few guidance counsellors in schools, and that too few of them make efforts to encourage girls to consider non-traditional jobs. Although the federal government has a very limited role in this area, the Committee nonetheless identifies the need for more guidance counsellors as a part of the puzzle to address the participation of women in non-traditional occupations. The Committee urges governments to consider how they can contribute to building awareness among teachers, parents and guidance counsellors about the full range of career opportunities available to girls.

While outreach to high school aged girls is important, several witnesses suggested that women need support later in their work-lives to help them make the transition to non-traditional jobs. Women often do not choose non-traditional jobs as their first career choice; rather, it is more typical to find “women who have decided to explore their interests and their ability to leave unstable low-paying employment, to follow their dream and to take training that will help them qualify for gainful employment”.[34]

Hands-on experience has been identified as key to allowing women to see that they can enter non-traditional occupations in the trades. Programs across the country have been developed by schools, unions, and employers to provide girls and women with a hands-on exposure to non-traditional jobs. In Laval, Quebec, the “Défi touche à tout“ is a hands-on laboratory in a vocational training centre that allows grade nine students to become interested in occupations taught at the vocational training centre through a series of mini‑laboratories.[35] The Quebec Government sponsors a program called “Femmes et métiers gagnants” which allows women to take stock of their personal and professional situations and explore job opportunities and training in male-dominated professions. Women visit a vocational training centre, where they can then register for a one-day placement if they are interested in pursuing training.[36] In Newfoundland and Labrador, Women in Resource Development Corporation offers a variety of hands-on training programs to allow women to explore trades and technology occupations. The Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists has a national outreach campaign to educate and inform girls about jobs in applied science and engineering technology. This includes one-day, hands-on technology camps for girls and their parents. The Committee heard that the construction trades in Nova Scotia donate three cents per hour of work to a group called Texploration, which promotes careers in the sciences, trades, and technical and technology-related occupations among young women in grades nine to twelve.[37] The Status of Women Council of the Northwest Territories offered five‑week exposure courses, mainly in the evening, around carpentry.[38] The Canadian Auto Workers partnered with the Saugeen First Nations to put on a three-day, skilled trades and technology awareness program for girls and their mothers.

As the examples above demonstrate, responsibility for increasing the participation of women in non-traditional jobs is one which is shared among many different partners: schools, universities, employers, unions, professional organizations, and sector councils. A number of pilot projects have been developed, often with funding from federal government departments. The Committee heard from witnesses that “[m]any groups are doing grassroots work to integrate women, but their experience is really scattered in geographic terms, and this expertise is not being pooled”.[39] Witnesses highlighted the need for integration of efforts to promote the entry of women into non-traditional jobs:

[T]here have been a lot of programs and a lot of good ideas but they've been very fragmented and there hasn't been the follow-up to say, okay, three years later, where are we? People will say we had brochures, we had events, we had people do this and that, but where are we in terms of our goals? I think that really, to move us forward on these issues we need not only the strategy, but we need the teeth and the commitment to follow through.[40]

While hands-on exposure and targeted initiatives are an important part of making non-traditional jobs more accessible to women, the Committee has heard that “[t]he biggest impediments are the systemic barriers: exclusion from the informal networks; people saying you don't want to work in the oil industry because it's dirty and your hair will get messed up. The informal and systemic barriers are actually tougher to address because they're harder to see”.[41]

Breaking down these barriers will require all partners to work together to identify and systematically address these barriers. The federal government can play an important leadership role in this.

2.  The Committee recommends that the federal government develop, in partnership with provinces, territories, trade sectors, NGOs and other stakeholders, a proactive, integrated, sustainable strategy and commit the necessary funding to increase the participation of women in non-traditional jobs such as those in trades, technology and engineering.

3.  The Committee recommends that the federal government continue to promote the trades by continuing the apprenticeship grants and incentives both to the employer and apprentice to encourage young people, both male and female, to increase the number of women in non-traditional roles.

D. Re-training Programs Funded Through Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC)

The Government of Canada provides transfers to provinces and territories, which design and deliver labour market programming specific to the needs of their populations. Labour Market Development Agreements (LMDAs) provide funding to provinces and territories for skills development and training programs for clients who are eligible for Employment Insurance (EI). Through these agreements, the federal government enters into contracts with individual provinces and territories to assign responsibility for the design and delivery of labour market training programs. Departmental officials told the Committee that there are 250,000 to 300,000 women who are supported through LMDA agreements each year.

LMDAs are complemented by Labour Market Agreements (LMAs), which provide funding for provincial and territorial labour market programs and services particularly for low-skill workers and unemployed individuals who are not eligible for EI benefits. The Committee has heard that the agreements negotiated with provinces and territories under these LMDAs and LMAs differ in how they address the training needs of women. For example:

The Ontario labour market agreement tracks the number of women served, while the Nova Scotia labour market agreement will target service at unemployed and low-skilled employed Nova Scotians who are not EI-eligible, including women.[42]

The Committee has heard that there is a need for careful attention as to how the training programs provided through these LMDAs and LMAs prepare women for the labour force:

Our experience, the experience of the people responsible for programs, counsellors at Emploi Québec or employability groups funded by the government, is that there have been systematic cuts, because it is expensive to support a woman in non-traditional occupations. It's an investment, these are long-term changes. Based on purely economic calculations to determine what is cost-effective, there has been a complete change of direction to give preference to rapid re-employment. Women are being sent overnight into secretarial jobs, and the groups were having to achieve a high placement rate quickly. That meant not giving women new training, and not reintegrating them elsewhere, where they had a chance of really improving their living and working conditions.[43]

The Committee has heard that, in the coming years the federal, provincial, and territorial governments will be renegotiating the terms of some of the LMDAs and LMAs. Witnesses have suggested that the federal government set targets and reporting requirements in these agreements to ensure that these funds are being used to provide women with the full range of training possibilities, including training for non-traditional occupations.

4.   The Committee recommends that the federal government negotiate clear targets and reporting requirements in its Labour Market Development Agreements and Labour Market Agreements, to ensure that training and apprenticeship programs funded through these agreements provide a choice of higher entrance and completion rates for women in non-traditional occupations.

Gender-based analysis is a tool which helps to identify the gendered life patterns, needs and interests of both women and men so that there might be more equitable results. Although the federal government has accepted to ensure a systematic application of gender-based analysis, a 2009 report by the Auditor-General of Canada identified that there is still room for improvement.

Acknowledging that there are gender differences between women and men, and girls and boys, does not mean that all women are the same nor that all men are the same. Aboriginal women who appeared before the Committee were careful to note the importance of incorporating the needs and interests of Aboriginal women, as these may be different from those of other women. The Native Women’s Association of Canada has led the development of a culturally relevant gender-based analysis tool, which provides a holistic policy perspective on where aboriginal women stand on issues and is particularly relevant to identify desired outcomes and measures of performance.[44]

Ms. Wendy Cukier, Associate Dean of the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University, told the Committee that “re-embracing gender-based analysis and mainstreaming gender when you're looking at innovation, at sectoral policies, and at economic development policies, is absolutely fundamental to creating an environment in which all women can succeed”.[45]

Departments currently can exercise discretion about whether a gender-based analysis is appropriate or relevant in the development of programs and policies.

The Committee urges the federal government to consistently apply a gender-based analysis to all initiatives relating to employability and jobs. Consistent application of GBA will ensure that the Government of Canada does not inadvertently exacerbate gender stereotypes and inequalities in all its interventions, ranging from its promotional materials to the design of its economic development and training programs.

5.   The Committee recommends that the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada continue to develop its capacity for gender-based analysis, including the application of culturally relevant gender-based analysis.

The federal government has a particular responsibility related to training of Aboriginal persons. The Government of Canada works with employers to target training to Canada’s aboriginal population, and funds aboriginal governments to provide labour market programs and services under what was formerly known as the Aboriginal Human Resources Development strategy, and are now known as the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy. The Committee heard from Ms. Denise Thomas, Vice-President of the Southeast Region of the Manitoba Métis Federation, that funding levels to aboriginal organizations under this program had remained static for over 10 years.[46]

6.   The Committee recommends that the federal government sustain funding for the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy, and that it encourage its partners to use these funds to propose stronger orientation for preparing women for non-traditional occupations.

E. Wrap-around Services

The Committee has heard about the importance of supporting the multiple needs of women as they train for, and then work in, non-traditional jobs. Ms. Lorraine Phaneuf, Executive Director, Status of Women Council of the Northwest Territories, identified some of the barriers and challenges confronted by women in the north as they try to take advantage of training to prepare for job openings in occupations which are typically male. These include “lack of appropriate education and skills; sometimes the only primary caregiver; limited training opportunities; financial restrictions; perception and traditional perspective that trades occupations are not for women; and social issues around abuse and addictions”.[47] Many of these challenges were identified by other witnesses as well.

Witnesses have emphasized the importance of providing a full range of services to support women who are training to enter non-traditional occupations. These are often referred to as wraparound services, and can include components such as help with child care, personal counselling, housing advocacy, mentorship and transportation. For women who have had limited labour force attachment, these services are crucial. Increasing the participation of women in non-traditional jobs requires a serious effort to identify and address the barriers which women face in their training and on the job, and to provide a range of supports to encourage them to continue.

The importance of mentoring has been repeatedly identified as one of the key contributors to success for women in non-traditional occupations, as the following example about the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council demonstrates:

[T]here’s really good evidence that programs like the ones offered by the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council and groups that offer internship and mentoring kinds of formal programs have interesting results. Immigrants who go through those programs get jobs less quickly, so other immigrants get jobs faster, but the immigrants who go through the mentoring and the internship programs get better jobs, are paid more, and spend less time trying to get back to the level at which they entered. There’s huge research to support the incredible impact of having those kinds of internship and mentoring programs available.[48]

Given the apparent success of mentoring programs, the Committee urges the Government to continue supporting mentoring initiatives throughout Canada.