Quick Takes

Published: March 2011

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Population

• In 2010:
  • Of the Canadian population, women were: 50.4%¹
• In 2006:
  • Of the visible minority population, women were: 52.1%²
  • Of the visible minority labour force, women were: 47.9% ³
  • Percentage of lone-parent families headed by women: 80.1% ⁴
  • Percentage of women in same-sex unions: 45.4%⁵
• Of those born in 2005-2007, the life expectancy is:
  • 83 years for females⁶
  • 78 years for males⁷

Labour Force

• In 2010:
  • Women ages 15 and older were 47.3% of the labour force,⁸ up from 37.1% in 1976⁹
  • 62.4% of all women ages 15 and older worked,¹⁰ up from 42.0% in 1976¹¹
  • Women made up 67.3% of the part-time workforce¹²
  • 27.4% of all women in the paid workforce worked part-time at their main job, compared with 12.1% of employed men¹³
  • Women comprised 35.0% of all self-employed workers, up from 26.3% in 1976, and 31.2% in 1990¹⁴
  • Women comprised 51.0% of people aged 60 to 64 participating in the labour force.¹⁵

Leadership

• In 2010:
  • Percentage of women in management occupations: 36.5%¹⁶
  • Percentage of women in senior management occupations: 26.9%¹⁷
• In 2009, women held 14.0% of Financial Post 500 corporate board seats .¹⁸
• In 2010, women were 6.4% of Financial Post 500 company heads.¹⁹
• In 2010, women held 17.7% of Financial Post 500senior officer positions.²⁰

Earnings

• In 2008:
  • The average earnings for full-year, full-time female workers was $44,700. For male workers, the average was $62,600.²¹
  • Women earned an average of 71.3% of men's earnings.²²
  • 42% of wives earned approximately the same as or more than their husbands.²³
  • 43% of wives earned at least 45% of the family total income.²⁴
  • 18% of dual-earner wives are their families' primary breadwinners (defined as bringing in more than 55% of the household income) when measuring in hourly earnings.²⁵

Educational Achievement

• In 2008, women were awarded 60.0% of degrees, diplomas or certificates from Canadian universities.²⁶
  • Women received 54.6% of all master’s degrees and 44.2% of all doctorates.²⁷
• In 2008/2009, women made up only 27.3% of all university students in mathematics, computer and information sciences, and just 21.1% of those in architecture, engineering, and related technologies.²⁸
• A 2008-2009 survey found that women made up 34.2% of MBA enrolment in Canada.²⁹

SOURCES

¹ Statistics Canada, "Population by Sex and Age Group" (2010). 

² Statistics Canada, "Visible Minority Groups (15), Generation Status (4), Age Groups (9) and Sex (3) for the Population 15 Years and Over of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2006 Census - 20% Sample Data," 2006 Census. 

³ Statistics Canada, "Labour Force Activity (8), Visible Minority Groups (15), Immigrant Status and Period of Immigration (9), Highest Certificate, Diploma or Degree (7), Age Groups (9) and Sex (3) for the Population 15 Years and Over of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2006 Census - 20% Sample Data," 2006 Census.

⁴ Statistics Canada, "Families, Households and Housing," Canada Yearbook 2010 (2010). Table 14.7: Population, by living arrangements and by province and territory, 2006 (p. 8-9)

⁵ Statistics Canada, "Persons in same-sex unions by broad age groups and sex for both sexes, 2006 counts, for Canada, provinces and territories - 20% sample data" (2006). 

⁶ Statistics Canada, "Life Expectancy by Birth, by Sex, by Province" (2010). 

⁷ Statistics Canada, "Life Expectancy by Birth, by Sex, by Province" (2010). 

⁸ Statistics Canada, "Labour force and participation rates by sex and age group" (2011). 

⁹ Statistics Canada, "Women in Canada: Work Chapter Updates. Statistics Canada. Housing, Family and Social Statistics Division" (2003).  Table 1: Employment, 1976-2002 (p. 12)

¹⁰ Statistics Canada, "Labour force and participation rates by sex and age group" (2011). 

¹¹ Statistics Canada, "Women in Canada: Work Chapter Updates. Statistics Canada. Housing, Family and Social Statistics Division" (2003).  Table 1: Employment, 1976-2002 (p. 12)

¹² Statistics Canada, "Full-time and part-time employment by sex and age group" (2011). 

¹³ Statistics Canada, "Full-time and part-time employment by sex and age group" (2011). 

¹⁴ Statistics Canada, "Self-employment, historical summary" (2011). Statistics Canada, "Women in Canada: Work Chapter Updates. Statistics Canada. Housing, Family and Social Statistics Division" (2003).  Table 10: Self-employment, 1976-2002 (p. 20)

¹⁵ Statistics Canada, "Population by Sex and Age Group" (2010). 

¹⁶ Statistics Canada, CANSIM, "Table 282-0009: Labour force survey estimates (LFS), by National Occupational Classification for Statistics (NOC-S) and sex, unadjusted for seasonality, monthly (persons x 1,000)" (January 2011).

¹⁷ Statistics Canada, CANSIM, "Table 282-0009: Labour force survey estimates (LFS), by National Occupational Classification for Statistics (NOC-S) and sex, unadjusted for seasonality, monthly (persons x 1,000)" (January 2011).

¹⁸ Laura Jenner, Liz Mulligan-Ferry, and Rachel Soares, 2009 Catalyst Census: Financial Post 500 Women Board Directors (Catalyst, 2010).

¹⁹ Catalyst Research.

²⁰ Liz Mulligan-Ferry, Rachel Soares, Jan Combopiano, Jaye Cullen, and Laura Riker, 2010 Catalyst Census: Financial Post 500 Women Senior Officers and Top Earners (Catalyst, 2011).

²¹ Statistics Canada, "Average earnings by sex and work pattern (Full-time workers)" (2010). 

²² Statistics Canada, "Average earnings by sex and work pattern (Full-time workers)" (2010). 

²³ Katherine Marshall, The Family Work Week (Statistics Canada, 2009). 

²⁴ Katherine Marshall, The Family Work Week (Statistics Canada, 2009). 

²⁵ Statistics Canada, "Table 6: Dual-earner wives' contributions to paid hours and earnings" (2010).  in Katherine Marshall, The Family Work Week (Statistics Canada, 2009).

²⁶ Statistics Canada, "Table 1: University qualifications awarded by program level and gender" (2010). 

²⁷ Statistics Canada, "Table 1: University qualifications awarded by program level and gender" (2010). 

²⁸ Statistics Canada, CANSIM, "Table 477-0013: University enrolments, by registration status, program level, Classification of Instructional Programs, Primary Grouping (CIP_PG) and sex, annual (number)," (2011).

²⁹ Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, unpublished research (2009).

UPDATED March 3, 2011