FEWO Committee Report

NDP Supplementary Opinion
FEWO Study on Women in Skilled Trades and Science, technology, engineering and mathematics occupations
June 2015

INTRODUCTION

New Democrat members of the committee are glad to have heard so many witnesses speak from experience and with passion on how to increase women and girl’s participation in the science, technology, engineering and mathematic (STEM) occupations. New Democrats would like to see federal government leadership to address the causes of women’s underrepresentation in STEM fields.

Issues of gender inequality which permeate women’s lives in Canada are also alive and well in the STEM fields, and these barriers need to be addressed. As one witness so eloquently stated:

“individual merit does not trump and cannot balance the influence of institutional and behavioural barriers. Leaving the onus on the individual to represent themselves and transcend both institutional and social barriers is not a good enough solution and speaks to neither equality nor equitability.” [1]

Canadian women and girls are looking to the federal government for real leadership and change. It is not enough to provide a handful of women with apprenticeships and mentors, leave it to industry to regulate itself, and call it a day.

To really support women and all Canadians in a healthy, sustainable economy, the government needs to address the challenges and barriers faced by women such as inequality, sexism, hostile work environments and culture, and a lack of family-friendly policies.

GENDER INEQUALITY + WAGE GAP

A main component of gender inequality in Canada is that pay inequity has yet to be redressed. Women’s work remains undervalued compared to men’s work. This is true of STEM and non-STEM fields. This is a huge problem in Canada, and many witnesses pointed to the need to address it with policy driven by facts, research, data, and long term measurable goals. 

As one witness said:

“Men and women in Canada work in different fields, for different numbers of hours, at different rates of pay. Women are three times as likely as men to work part time, twice as likely to work for minimum wage, and nearly 100% likely to be paid less for the work they do.”[2]

 In addition, the committee heard that:

“women's access to roles in leadership positions and their financial compensation in these positions do not competitively or equitably compare to the access and compensation available to men who have similar experience, expertise, and qualifications. This is true for most industry sectors, not just STEM fields, meaning that with all things being equal between two job candidates, one man and one woman, even in the average best-case scenario the woman will make 20% less money than the man and will face more barriers when applying for senior leadership positions than he will.” [3]

And while we heard positive things about higher wages being available in STEM, the wage gap in these fields in Canada is one of the largest of any sector in our labour force. The committee heard that women working in the oil in gas sector earn 65¢ on the male dollar, working full time, full year, women working in construction trades earn 72¢ on the male dollar, female electricians earn 79¢, and female plumbers earn 82¢ for every dollar earned by their male peers, working full time, full year.[4]

CHILDCARE AND FAMILY-FRIENDLY POLICIES

Witnesses also clearly stated that pay was not the only factor for women in choosing a career path. Many look for flexibility as “a piece of the puzzle”.[5]

Witnesses stated that flexible work schedules can help women and caregivers, who are predominantly women.[6]

A disproportional share of unpaid work continues to be done by women, which can make it difficult for them to pursue certain occupations:

“Today women put in 3.9 hours of unpaid care work a day, compared to 4.2 hours of unpaid care work 20 years ago. Only now, that four hours of work comes on top of a full day of paid work for the majority of women.

This is double the amount of time spent on household and care work as performed by men in Canada. Unless we add more hours to the day, this puts an absolute limit on women's capacity to increase their hours of paid work and to go after those more demanding jobs that require them to work after hours or overtime. Women are five times as likely to take time off from work to look after family members. Without family leave and sick leave policies that address this reality, women are further marginalized within the workforce and see their opportunities for advancement and better pay reduced.”[7]

New Democrat members heard that the cost of childcare and lack of readily available spaces can be extremely prohibitive for women's participation in STEM fields. Many witnesses recommended the federal government make childcare a priority.

As one witness clearly stated:

“Where affordable child care is readily available, women's labour force participation increases, the wage gap narrows, and the rates of promotion increase as well.”[8]

Furthermore,

“In every country that has provided affordable and accessible child care, women's employment levels have gone up, so that evidence is clear.”[9]

New Democrat members noted the need for accessible, affordable childcare is, as one witness put it, “... a fundamental issue.”[10]

The committee also heard from Status of Women officials how important child care is if women are to have access to choices:

“The responsibilities for child care, and even elder care, are still primarily with women, as we all have heard and as many studies demonstrate. This is also a factor that affects women's choices and the ability to meet inflexible workplace requirements. Access to child care if you're a shift worker is repeatedly also brought forward by the groups we work with that are trying to enhance the opportunities for women in these fields.”[11]

SAFE AND SECURE WORKPLACES

New Democrats heard from witnesses that safety and security in workplaces remained an issue for women in STEM. One witness put it thus:

“A majority of our decision-makers are men (and women - JM) in positions of authority who have blindly enjoyed their privilege without ever having to understand what micro-aggressions are, why safety and harassment at work go hand in hand with job security, and why having a family and more responsibilities can be perceived to mean one is less serious and less capable of taking on a prominent role in a company, instead of the opposite.”[12]

Harassment and not being taken seriously as forms of oppression came up often during testimony. Another witness pointed out that

“It's not just with the employers; it can sometimes be in the institutions as well, where women are maybe not perceived as taking it seriously. They've had comments such as that maybe they are there to find a husband more than to be a welder, and things like that.”[13]

CONCLUSION

Canada needs women in STEM fields as a part of a healthy, diversified economy. Skilled, higher earning jobs need to be created for women and men. In order to achieve this, we must address the inequalities and barriers that systematically keep women out of these fields, and address the pay inequality they continue to face.

Further, by putting in place family policies, like accessible and affordable child care, we make women's economic lives more secure and increase women's employment, women's labour force participation, and “makes it more likely that they can go into whatever job they want, at whatever point they want.”[14]

The NDP recommends:

• That the Government of Canada immediately implement pro-active pay equity legislation for all federally regulated workers based on the recommendations from the 2004 Pay Equity Taskforce Report and repeal the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act.
• That the Government of Canada work with the provinces, territories and Indigenous communities to create a universal early childhood and childcare program delivered with common principles like affordability, availability and quality that costs no more than 15$/day per child.
• That the Government of Canada reinstate the federal minimum wage to 15$ an hour.
• That the Government of Canada adopt a long term plan and vision to achieve gender equality in Canada including addressing barriers, and restoring the long term census for the much needed data and research needed. 
• That the Government of Canada incentivize industry to change behaviours within workplaces to address harassment and other barriers to full participation in the work force.