Question Period Note: Gender Equality in the Economy

What is the Government of Canada doing to support gender equality in the economy?

• Gender equality and economic recovery go hand in hand. Addressing economic vulnerabilities exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic is key to recovery.
• Additionally, Budget 2021 outlines a number of key investments, including:
o $30 billion over five years and $8.3 billion ongoing to build a high-quality, affordable and accessible early learning and child care system across Canada;
o $470 million over three years to establish a new Apprenticeship Service, through which employers in the construction industry and Red Seal trades will be incentivized to hire underrepresented Canadians, including women and persons with disabilities;
o Support to help more women and underrepresented groups enter and succeed in STEM and skilled trades, such as $250M over three years to upskill and redeploy workers to meet the needs of growing industries; and
o Up to $146.9 million over four years, starting in 2021-22, to strengthen the $5 billion Women Entrepreneurship Strategy.
• Since 2015, WAGE has approved nearly $65M for 99 projects to improve women and girls’ economic security and prosperity.

• Women continue to be less likely than men to participate in the labour force. The reasons for this are interrelated and include an inequitable share of unpaid domestic and care responsibilities that lead to workforce interruptions, as well as an overrepresentation of women in part-time or temporary work. This impedes women’s earning ability, which, over time, impedes their overall economic security, including as seniors.
• Women are facing increased rates of unemployment and economic hardship during the pandemic. Women, particularly young women, those who are Indigenous, visible minorities and immigrants, have been disproportionately impacted by economic shutdowns since women are overrepresented in the services, retail, care, and hospitality sectors, which have been more severely affected by the pandemic. Due to their large presence in the services sector, youth experienced sharper employment losses than all other age groups. Job losses among women (-7%) were almost double that experienced among men (-3.7%) in March 2020. As the economy began to reopen in May 2020, employment increased twice as fast for men as women (+2.4% vs. +1.1%). Although employment losses at the start of the pandemic were comparable for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, economic recovery has been slower for Indigenous people, particularly Indigenous women. In September 2021, the employment rates among both Indigenous women (55.4%) and men (61.2%) were essentially the same as in September 2019, but lower than employment rates among non-Indigenous women (56.7%) and men (65.8%), consistent with historical trends.
• School and daycare closures impact women’s ability to participate in the labour force or continue their own education. Women have shouldered much of the increased unpaid domestic and care work, for example in June 2020, almost two-thirds (64%) of women reported that they mostly performed homeschooling or helped children with homework, while 19% of men reported being mostly responsible for this task.

Federal Initiatives
• Budget 2021 measures to improve the economic participation of women and underrepresented groups include:
o $30 billion over 5 years and $8.3 billion ongoing for a high-quality, affordable and accessible early learning and childcare system.
o $55 million over three years for a Community Workforce Development Program with a national stream dedicating 75% of project funding to support underrepresented groups; and
o $15 million over 2 years to extend the Racialized Newcomer Women Pilot to improve employment outcomes and career advancement.
• These initiatives would build on previous ones, including: a Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Framework; flexible work arrangements as part of the Canada Labour Code; maternity and parental benefits; and programs to support more women in non-traditional high-paying fields.
• The Government of Canada also convened a Task Force on Women in the Economy to advise on policy actions to address the unique and disproportionate impacts on women caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Women and Gender Equality Canada supports women’s economic security by funding organizations and building partnerships to address systemic barriers. Past projects funded through the Women’s Program, which were completed in 2020-21, supported organizations in developing and disseminating more than 150 different resources to increase awareness of and access to services and supports, breaking down systemic barriers to women’s economic security and prosperity.
• On July 29, 2021, funding for 237 new projects was announced under the $100M Feminist Response and Recovery Fund. This funding will support projects under the Women’s Program, responding to a wide range of systemic issues, including improving women’s and girl’s economic security and prosperity, in order to accelerate progress on gender equality and to help build a Canada that is fair, equal and equitable for everyone.

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