Gender unequality in Canada, says study

A new report by the federal government argues that Canada is not fulfilling its commitment to gender equality.

According to the Globe and Mail, a 252 page study from the Council of Canadian Academies portrays a highly critical look at the limited progress of women’s academic careers.

It was commissioned in 2010 after the Canada Excellence Research Chairs program, an endeavour designed to bring in top researchers from abroad, neglected to choose any women for its nineteen awards.

The report concludes that although women have begun to outnumber men on university campuses for two decades, female faculty and researchers haven’t seen any victories from it. They still make less money than their colleagues while having to care for children or parents after work.

It also argues that powerful stereotypes and institutional arrangements are excluding women from being recognised and promoted.

Among the reports key findings is a persistent salary gap. Even with full time professors making 95 per cent of male salaries, it can have long term effects, including pension payments.

According to Lorna Mardsen, former president of York University and chair of the report, many women are not having the same access as men, and that if it holds for women, it would hold for other minority groups in our society as well.

STORY WRITTEN BY: CATLIN SPENCER