women's Employment Patterns Differ From Men's

ACTEW has just released a fact sheet focusing on Canadian Women’s labour patterns, based on an environmental scan ACTEW recently conducted for the Canadian Women’s Foundation. Women's work patterns are not the same as men's. While men's employment patterns have changed little, women's are changing dramatically. Thirty years ago, the participation rate difference between the sexes was 31%; it is now 8%. Women are more likely to have breaks in their work histories, perform unpaid caregiving at the expense of paid employment, work part-time and be in low-paying occupations.
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Policies responsive to differing labour patterns better utilize women's labour potential

Current labour market policies don't recognize women as a significant labour market force with specific patterns. Labour market data collection provides limited analysis of women's work patterns, especially at the provincial level. Training policy is not currently focused on utilizing women to meet skills shortages, and eligibility criteria for services and training based on the EI Act disproportionately excludes women. Some changes have been made, particularly in Quebec, which has extended maternity and parental leave to self-employed workers and introduced universal and accessible child care. >more

Facilitating Inclusion
St. Joseph Immigrant Women's Centre (Hamilton)

The Facilitating Inclusion program trains women from diverse cultural backgrounds in group facilitation, research, and leadership skills. Eligibility is not contingent on either employment or immigration status. Training includes participation in local planning and leadership roles, enabling women to affect change within their community.

Not only does Facilitating Inclusion support individual women as they gain marketable skills, it also addresses the lack of representation of minority groups in policy-making and community development. To date, participants have facilitated eight community development projects in the Hamilton area. >more

MTCU Update: Agreement Streamlining Changes
As MTCU engages in transforming the Ontario Employment Benefits and Support Measures (OESBM) infrastructure, agreements are being extended and contract administration streamlined. OEBSM agreements can be extended for up to 18 months effective December 1, 2007. Also at this time, MTCU is introducing two initiatives to ease external administrative requirements including increased budget flexibility and streamlining the budget negotiation process. >more

Report-Back on Employment Ontario Updates
At an ACTEW event in Brantford on October 31, Sherree Mahood, Director of Western Region for MTCU, spoke about the development of Employment Ontario, giving several key pieces of information, including an update of provincial-federal negotiations on the Labour Market Agreement (the “daughter to the LMPA”), and the status of the transition projects. >more

Women Shut Out of EI: New Study
Most women are getting shut out of Employment Insurance (EI) coverage in Canada, says a new study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).The gap between men's and women’s EI coverage is significant: 40 percent of unemployed men received EI benefits in 2004 while only 32 percent of unemployed women did. These findings correspond with ACTEW’s research on Women and EI, released in a fact sheet in January 2007. >more

Facts

• Women make up 47% of the labour force. (1)

• Approximately 40% of working women, in comparison with less than 30% men, are in part-time, contract, or other non-standard work arrangements. (1)

• Two-thirds of mothers with young children are employed. (2)

• While one-fifth of Canadian women work part-time, most do not choose to do so. (1)

•EI coverage of women workers dropped from 69% in 1990 to 32% in 2004. (3)

(1) Canadian Women's Labour Patterns Fact Sheet , ACTEW, 2007.

(2) Child Care Fact Sheet, ACTEW, 2007.

(3) Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, 2007.

Questions

How can labour market development policies better support women’s differing work patterns to maximize employment of half the labour force?

How can policies and programs work more systematically to train and retain women in markets experiencing skills shortages?

Get Involved

Brantford Puts Women in the Picture

On October 30 and 31, ACTEW participated in the conference Putting Women in the Picture near Brantford¸ hosted by the Grand Erie Training and Adjustment Board (GETAB). The event brought 60 service providers to discuss how women in the region could be served more effectively. >more

Sarnia Puts Women in the Picture

On October 2, ACTEW participated in the conference Putting Women in the Picture, hosted by the Sarnia-Lambton Workforce Development Board (SLWDB). It was an exciting group of people concerned with how the women of Lambton County can be more fully supported towards economic security. ACTEW delivered the keynote address on labour market challenges and opportunities facing women in Ontario, including stats and policy analysis. >more

view inFocus archives for analysis on other key issues

Visit our web site to learn more about Putting Women in the Picture