Research

Women in the Workforce – Canada: Quick Take

May 28, 2019

POPULATION

Canada Is Facing Demographic Shifts Due to a Growing and Aging Population

Between June 2017 and June 2018, Canada’s estimated population growth rate was higher than that of any other Group of 7 (G7)1 nation, and was twice that of the United States, which had the second-highest growth rate.2

As of July 1, 2018, women represented slightly more than half (50.3%) of Canada’s total population (37,058,856).3

  • In 2018, Canada’s population included more women aged 65 and older (18.5% of the total population of women) than girls aged 14 and younger (15.7% of women).4

By 2031, nearly one-quarter (24.2%) of the total female population is projected to be 65 or older, up from 17.5% in 2015.5

Canadian Women Are Becoming More Diverse

In 2016, 22.6% of all Canadian women and girls were women of colour (3.9 million).6

  • By 2031, the percentage of Canadian women of colour may be over 30%.7

In 2016, 4.9% of all Canadian women and girls identified as Aboriginal (860,265).8

  • The population of Aboriginal women may reach 1.1 million by 2031.9

EDUCATION

More Canadian Women Than Men Have a Tertiary Degree10

From 2007 to 2017, the number of tertiary-educated Canadian women aged 25 to 64 increased 11 percentage points (from 52% to 63%), while the number of tertiary-educated Canadian men rose by just 6 percentage points (from 44% to 50%).11

  • Despite having a higher share of tertiary degrees, at this education level Canadian women earned 72% of Canadian men’s earnings in 2015.12

Just over a third (34%) of Canadian women had a university level of education in 2017, compared with 29% of men.13

  • However, only 7% of Canadian women obtained post-secondary non-tertiary education,14 which includes certificates and diplomas in traditionally male-dominated trades such as energy, construction, and agriculture, compared with 14% of men.15

LABOUR FORCE PARTICIPATION

More Canadian Women Are Working, but in Lower-Paying Jobs16

In 2018, Canadian women 15 years and older represented nearly half (47.7%) of the labor force, compared to 37.1% in 1976—a percentage increase of close to 30%.17

  • Over half (61.3%) of Canadian women over age 15 participated in the labor force in 2018.18

Canada has the fifth largest workforce in Artificial Intelligence (AI), but women make up less than a quarter (24%) of those employed.19

LEADERSHIP

Parity Remains Elusive for Women in the Private Sector, but Has Been Reached in the Public Sector20

Seven Canadian provinces have employment equity policies for public workers. As a result:21

  • In 2015, 54.0% of legislators and senior government managers and officials were women, up from 36.8% in 1987.22
    • However, only 25.6% of senior managers in the private sector were women.23

Bill C-25 passed in 2018, requiring publicly traded companies to disclose their policies on diversity, including that of their boards and senior management.24

Only 23 (or about 3.3%) of TSX-listed Canadian companies had a woman CEO as of July 2018.25

  • Women represented an average of 15.8% of executive officers in TSX-listed companies as of July 2018. 30% of companies reported having only one woman executive officer and 34% reported having two or more.26

Canadian women held just 25.8% of S&P/TSX 60 board seats in 2017.27

  • All of the S&P/TSX 60 companies have at least one woman on their board.28
2018 Occupation29 % of Canadian Women Employed
All Management Occupations 35.1%
Senior Management Occupations 32.6%
Specialized Middle Management Occupations 48.4%
Middle Management Occupations in Retail & Wholesale Trade and Customer Services 38.7%
Middle Management Occupations in Trades, Transportation, Production and Utilities 18.1%

THE PAY GAP

In 2018, full-time employed women earned $0.87 for every dollar men earned, based on average hourly wages.30

In 2015, the latest data available, single women made on average $8,700 less than single men did.31

  • Mothers earned 15% less than fathers.32
  • Single mothers had the lowest average adjusted income ($25,300) among women.33

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Catalyst Canada.

Full list of Catalyst Quick Takes.

Anna Beninger, High-Potential Employees in the Pipeline: Maximizing the Talent Pool in Canadian Organizations (Catalyst, 2013).

Catalyst, Catalyst Accord 2022: Accelerating the Advancement of Women.

Catalyst, Gender Diversity on Boards in Canada: Recommendations for Accelerating Progress, commissioned by the Government of Ontario (2016).

Catalyst, Quick Take: People of Colour in Canada.

Sandrine Devillard, Geneviève Bonin, Anu Madgavkar, Mekala Krishnan, Tina Pan, Han Zhang, and Marissa Ng, Women Matter: The Present and Future of Women at Work in Canada (McKinsey, 2019).

Jennifer Thorpe-Moscon, Inclusion Is Key to Keeping Canadian High Potentials (Catalyst, 2015).

Jennifer Thorpe-Moscon, Alixandra Pollack, and Olufemi Olu-Lafe, Empowering Workplaces Combat Emotional Tax for People of Colour in Canada (Catalyst, 2019).

 

How to cite this product: Catalyst, Quick Take: Women in the Workforce – Canada (May 28, 2019).

  1. Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Statistics Canada, “Analysis: Total Population,” (2018).
  2. Statistics Canada, “Analysis: Total Population,” (2018).
  3. Statistics Canada, “Table 17-10-0005-01: Population Estimates on July 1st, by Age and Sex,” (2019).
  4. Statistics Canada, “Table 17-10-0005-01: Population Estimates on July 1st, by Age and Sex,” (2019).
  5. Tamara Hudon and Anne Milan, “Senior Women,” Women in Canada: A Gender-Based Statistical Report (Statistics Canada, March 30, 2016): p. 3.
  6. Statistics Canada, “Visible Minority (15), Generation Status (4), Age (12) and Sex (3) for the Population in Private Households of Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2016 Census – 25% Sample Data,” 2016 Census (2019).
  7. Tamara Hudon, “Visible Minority Women,” Women in Canada: A Gender-Based Statistical Report, (Statistics Canada, March 3, 2016): p. 3.
  8. Statistics Canada, “Aboriginal Population Profile, 2016 Census,” 2016 Census (2018).
  9. Anne Milan, “Female Population,” Women in Canada: A Gender-Based Statistics Report (Statistics Canada, March 30, 2015): p. 14.
  10. Tertiary education refers to “all post-secondary education, including both public and private universities, colleges, technical training institutes, and vocational schools.” The World Bank, “Higher Education,” (October 5, 2017). OECD, “Country Note: Canada,” Education at a Glance 2018 (2018).
  11. OECD, “Country Note: Canada,” Education at a Glance 2018 (2018).
  12. OECD, “Country Note: Canada,” Education at a Glance 2018 (2018).
  13. Statistics Canada, “Chapter A: The Output of Educational Institutions and the Impact of Learning,” Education Indicators in Canada: An International Perspective, 2018 (December 2018).
  14. Post-secondary non-tertiary education includes “certificates or diplomas from vocational schools or apprenticeship training.” Statistics Canada, “Chapter A: The Output of Educational Institutions and the Impact of Learning,” Education Indicators in Canada: An International Perspective, 2018 (December 2018).
  15. Statistics Canada, “Chapter A: The Output of Educational Institutions and the Impact of Learning,” Education Indicators in Canada: An International Perspective, 2018 (December 2018); Kristyn Frank and Marc Frenette, “How Do Women in Male-Dominated Apprenticeships Fare in the Labour Market?” Analytical Studies Branch Research Paper Series (Statistics Canada, March 13, 2019).
  16. Melissa Moyser, “Women and Paid Work,” Women in Canada: A Gender-Based Statistical Report (Statistics Canada, March 8, 2017): p. 4, 28.
  17. Statistics Canada, “Table 14-10-0327-01: Labour Force Characteristics by Sex and Detailed Age Group, Annual,” (2019).
  18. Statistics Canada, “Table 14-10-0327-01: Labour Force Characteristics by Sex and Detailed Age Group, Annual,” (2019).
  19. Tara Deschamps, “Canada Has Fifth Biggest AI Workforce, But Still Lacks Diversity: Study,” CTV News, December 18, 2018.
  20. Melissa Moyser, “Women and Paid Work,” Women in Canada: A Gender-Based Statistical Report (Statistics Canada, March 8, 2017): p. 25-26.
  21. Melissa Moyser, “Women and Paid Work,” Women in Canada: A Gender-Based Statistical Report (Statistics Canada, March 8, 2017): p. 26.
  22. Melissa Moyser, “Women and Paid Work,” Women in Canada: A Gender-Based Statistical Report (Statistics Canada, March 8, 2017): p. 26.
  23. Melissa Moyser, “Women and Paid Work,” Women in Canada: A Gender-Based Statistical Report (Statistics Canada, March 8, 2017): p. 26.
  24. Sevaun Palvetzian, “Why Corporate Boards Don’t Reflect the Diverse Population,” The Globe and Mail, June 12, 2018.
  25. Andrew MacDougall and John Valley, 2018 Diversity Disclosure Practices: Women in Leadership Roles at TSX-Listed Companies (Osler, 2018): p. 39.
  26. Andrew MacDougall and John Valley, 2018 Diversity Disclosure Practices: Women in Leadership Roles at TSX-Listed Companies (Osler, 2018): p. 31.
  27. Andrew MacDougall and John Valley, 2018 Diversity Disclosure Practices: Women in Leadership Roles at TSX-Listed Companies (Osler, 2018): p. 16.
  28. Andrew MacDougall and John Valley, 2018 Diversity Disclosure Practices: Women in Leadership Roles at TSX-Listed Companies (Osler, 2018): p. 23.
  29. Statistics Canada, “Table 14-10-0335-01: Labour Force Characteristics by Occupation, Annual,” (2019).
  30. Statistics Canada, “Table 14-10-0340-02: Average and Median Gender Wage Ratio, Annual,” (2019).
  31. Dan Fox and Melissa Moyser, “The Economic Well-Being of Women in Canada,” Women in Canada: A Gender-Based Statistical Report (Statistics Canada, May 16, 2018): p. 11.
  32. Melissa Moyser, “Women and Paid Work,” Women in Canada: A Gender-Based Statistical Report (Statistics Canada, March 8, 2017): p. 30.
  33. Dan Fox and Melissa Moyser, “The Economic Well-Being of Women in Canada,” Women in Canada: A Gender-Based Statistical Report (Statistics Canada, May 16, 2018): p. 12.