rural women workers

There are a variety of barriers for rural women as they look for work or maintain employment. Transportation is a primary concern, child care is scarce, training opportunities are limited and jobs are not well paying. Local municipalities tend not to consider female workers when attracting employers, and typical sources of employment are in the traditional male sectors of manufacturing, resource development and agriculture. Women who work in rural areas are more likely to do so on a part-time or seasonal basis or to be self-employed than their urban peers, and are less able to access EI and related training benefits.
>more: Employment Issues for Rural Women
>more: The Rural Economic Landscape

Urban-Made Policies Don't Fit Rural Communities

The economic development needs of rural communities, and particularly those of rural women, are not well served by most federal and provincial policies because these policies do not account for rural realities. For example, rural women are less likely to meet the required number of hours worked under Employment Insurance and Ontario Works because they are more likely to work part-time, seasonally and in self-employment. Ontario Works also fines recipients for owning a car of a certain value, yet access to reliable transportation is essential for employment in a rural setting.

To further complicate policy issues, rural communities not only differ from urban settings, but they also vary greatly among themselves in their economies, labour markets, and training needs.
>more on the ACTEW blog

Empowering Rural Women, Building Communities

Rural-serving women's organizations have developed a number of direct service programs and research projects aimed at increasing women's ability to engage in community development. These projects share the common thread of providing strategies to unlock the political and economic systems of their communities in order that they may participate more fully in their local economies and thus increase their own financial self-sufficiency.
>more on the ACTEW blog

New Canada-Ontario Agreement on Training and Skills Development
The governments of Canada and Ontario announced a new agreement that will see the federal government invest nearly $1.2 billion in Ontario's labour market over the next six years.
>more

Program Design Transformation Project Update
ACTEW members heard from Honey Crossley on the progress of the External Service Delivery Reference Group on Program Design -- Employment.
>slide presentation

Strategic Directions and Elements of the EO Framework
MTCU's discussion paper on the proposed Employment Ontario framework is available for review and comment. The online survey will be available until Friday February 29.
>www.eopg.ca

Facts

• While national unemployment rates for women are lower than men's, rural women in Ontario are the exception; those over age 24 are more likely to be unemployed than rural men. (1)

• Ninety-one percent of rural women travel to work in a car and 1% take public transit. (1)

• 14% of women in rural and small town areas, aged 20-64, are self-employed compared to 11% of women in urban areas in 2001. (1)

• The average income for a Northern Ontario worker is 16.3% lower than the provincial average. (1)

(1) Rural Women: Employment Fact Sheet , ACTEW and Rural Women Making Change, 2008.

Questions

How can policy be flexibly designed to meet the needs of rural communities, as well as urban ones?

How can rural service providers be better supported in policy to serve their local contexts?

How can learnings from successful rural initiatives be shared with other parts of the province?

Get Involved

Survey of Northern Opportunities for Women

PARO's Northern Opportunities for Women project works to bridge gaps in self-employment, employment and training supports for women. Participate in their 2008 survey of services in the Northwest and Northeast regions of Ontario.
>contact: now@paro.ca

Advancing Referral Processes: Focus Groups

ACTEW, in partnership with the Ontario Association of Youth Employment Centres, will be conducting a research project to understand the successes, gaps and challenges in agency referral processes. Stay tuned for focus group dates in March and April.

Northern Ontario Women’s Economic Development Conference

Register now for this forum on the experience of women in Northern Ontario. April 29 and 30, hosted by PARO and supported by ACTEW.
>more

view inFocus archives for analysis on other key issues

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