Question Period Note: Gender Equality in the Innovation Economy

How is the Government of Canada working to advance women and gender equality in the innovation economy?

• Increasing the participation of women and other underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) is good for the economy and for Canadians.

• More women in STEM jobs helps close the gender wage gap, brings more Canadian families into the middle class, and ensures a skilled and diverse workforce able to drive Canadian innovation.

• The Government of Canada is committed to supporting a diverse and inclusive STEM sector and has made a number of investments.

• For example, since November 2015, the Department for Women and Gender Equality has approved some $9.5 million to support projects to advance women's participation in non-traditional fields, including in STEM.

There is urgency to increasing women’s participation in the innovation economy especially given the challenges related to climate change. Responding to these challenges will require everyone’s contribution, particularly from those in STEM occupations, which should see increases in green job creation. Women could get left behind given their persistent underrepresentation in STEM fields. In Canada, for example:

o In 2016, women accounted for 54% of postsecondary qualification holders aged 25 to 34, and 57% of those with a postsecondary qualification in science and technology.
o However, they accounted for only 19% of engineering and engineering technology, and 27% of mathematics and computer and information science postsecondary qualification holders.
o In 2016-17, women made up 16% of full-time university teachers in architecture, engineering and related technologies, 21% in mathematics, computer and information sciences, and 25% in physical and life sciences, and technologies.
o As of June 2019, 34% of Canada Research Chairs are held by women.

The Social Science and Humanities Research Council, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and Canadian Institutes of Health Research are tasked with developing plans to achieve greater diversity among research funding recipients. To support these goals:

o Budget 2018 provided $15 million over five years to implement programs that support improved equality and diversity in academia at post-secondary institutions, through structural and cultural changes, support for women's careers, and efforts to challenge discrimination and bias.
o These commitments build on 2017 actions to require universities to develop their own equity, diversity and inclusion action plans to address the underrepresentation of employment equity groups among their research chairs, including in STEM.

Since November 2015, the Department for Women and Gender Equality, through its Women's Program, has approved some $9.5 million in support of projects to advance women's participation in non-traditional fields where they are underrepresented, including STEM. For example:
o A project by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta is working to increase the participation of women in STEM professions through consultations, an analysis on diversity and pay equity, and the development and piloting of a workplace culture policy.

In addition, the Government renewed its commitment to the Federal Plan for Gender Equality, which will include actions to advance gender equality in education, skills development, and the economy.

As part of its efforts to advance gender equality in the innovation economy, the Government recognizes that data collection must be improved to better understand the labour participation of LGBTQ2 people in Canada and to identify any wage gaps.

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