Question Period Note: Women's Economic Security

What is the government doing to improve women’s economic security?

•Every person should have the opportunity to contribute to, and benefit from, our growing economy. Too many women, particularly single mothers, Indigenous women, black and racialized women, women with disabilities and senior women, face challenges to make ends meet.
•Women still face barriers in achieving their full potential - they are overrepresented in lower-paid jobs, and often are unable to fully participate in the workforce due to caregiving responsibilities.
•The Government of Canada is committed to increasing women’s economic security through key initiatives, including:
o $1.7B over 5 years to support hourly wage increases for personal support workers, who are predominantly women;
o $160M over 3 years to advance women’s economic participation, through the Women’s Program;
o Over $30B towards affordable Early Learning and Child Care;
o Ensuring pay equity in federally regulated sectors; and
o A National Housing Strategy that prioritizes the most vulnerable Canadians.

Investment

•Since November 2015, WAGE distributed nearly $198 million to support 382 projects related to economic security.
•In 2024-25,there are 91 projects considered active and funded through the Women’s Program to support women’s economic participation and prosperity. These projects range from practical solutions to increase women’s representation in the labour market to change management practices being tested and applied in workplaces.

Results

•In 2021-22, through the Women’s Program, 283,856 women gained skills and knowledge to create more equitable conditions for women in various economic sectors.

Project Examples

Alternative Entrepreneurship for Women
•In 2023, la Société d’aide au développement des collectivités de Shawinigan received $296,000 for a project aiming at achieving full participation of part-time women entrepreneurs (called ‘flexipreneures’) and enabling them to improve their economic security. The project will reinforce their autonomy and empowerment by experimenting a tailored approach based on their needs and reality (e.g., financial and technical support).
Project end date: December 31, 2025

Allies in the Workplace - Creating Change, Advancing Women, and Educating the Aviation Industry
•In 2022, Elevate Aviation received $460,776 for a project to address systemic barriers within the aviation sector in Canada and reduce labour shortage in this industry. Various assessment tools will be used to measure the current Equity Diversity and Inclusion status of companies within the aviation industry and propose practical plans to reduce gender segregation, and advance gender equality (including developing succession plans to achieve the 50-30 challenge). The project will advance inclusive policies and practices, help address persistent harmful gender norms and attitudes, and support positive distribution of authority, voices, and decision-making power.
Project end date: March 31, 2025

BACKGROUND:

Poverty and the factors impacting economic security
•According to the 2024 Report of the National Advisory Council on Poverty, the 2022 poverty rate was 9.9% (up 2.5 percentage points from 2021 and up 3.5 percentage points from 2020).
•Poverty is more prevalent in some groups than others; factors such as age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, family composition, Indigeneity, race, immigration status, and disability play a role. People experiencing socio-economic inequities are also at a greater risk of experiencing gender-based violence.
•In 2022, 9.9% of men and 10% of women were living below the poverty line. Racialized persons were more likely to live below the poverty line in 2022 (13.0%) than non-racialized persons (8.7%).
•Women are less likely than men to participate in the labour force, which can contribute to their economic insecurity into their senior years. In 2023, the labour force participation rate of core-working aged men (25 to 54) was 92.1%, compared to 85.5% for women in the same age group.
•Women are also more subject to financial insecurity as they are over-represented in low-paying occupations, accounting for 52.4% of employees (both full and part-time) earning less than $12 per hour in 2023.
•With the cost of living for shelter, energy, and food, women’s economic security is further affected. In February 2022, the annual change in inflation was 5.7% while women’s wages grew by only 2.2% on average. The gap is particularly pronounced in several key women-majority care occupations and low wage sectors, including nursing, childcare, and social and community service workers. After taking inflation into account, at 5.5% over 2019 to 2021, these occupations all experienced real income loss.

Housing Security
•Housing security is also intrinsically linked with income. Women and gender-diverse people are more likely to work minimum wage and part-time jobs. Racialized and Indigenous women are more likely to experience economic insecurity and housing discrimination. Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and additional sexually and gender diverse (2SLGBTQ+) people in Canada were twice as likely as their non-2SLGBTQ+ counterparts to have experienced some type of homelessness or housing insecurity in their lifetime (27% vs 13%). Additionally, 25-40% of all homeless youth identify as belonging to 2SLGBTQI+ communities.

Measures to Address Cost of Caregiving
•The Government is investing in childcare and children, including through:
o Early Learning and Childcare: Investing $30B over the next five years, and $8.3B ongoing to provide families with access to affordable high-quality childcare.
o Canada Child Benefit: Investments have already helped lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty and will continue increasing to keep up with the cost of living.

It will be important to monitor the investments over time to assess impact on women’s economic security overall.

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