Women Empowerment in Canada

Canada has the highest rate of women’s labor force participation in the world with 61.3% women. Half of the students who went to college are women. 75% of women who work for themselves love their job. Only around a quarter of women are in charge as managers or leaders. Canada is in 18th place globally for how many women are in parliament, with almost 30% of the seats in the House of Commons held by women in 2023.

Immigrant women had 11.6% of seats in the House of Commons, which is a bit more than Canadian-born women. In a recent study, 69 Canadian companies found that women make up about 45% of all new employees, but only 25% hold the position of vice president and 15% of CEOs. According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), almost all adult women in Canada will be literate in 2022.

Women Empowerment in Canada – Notable Statistics

Canada is committed to promoting gender equality, empowering women and girls, and protecting their rights. This contributes to long-term growth, social progress, and sustainable development. Canada achieves this through international aid, diplomacy, and trade policies, focusing on empowering women with different programs. Here are some Notable Statistics related to Women’s Empowerment in Canada as mentioned below.

Indicator	Data and Statistics
Labor Force Participation	In 2023, women aged 15 and older participated in the labor force at a rate of 61.5%, up from 58.5% in 1990.
Pay Gap	Between 1997 and 2019, women earned 88 cents for every dollar earned by men.
Education	In 2023, 33.2% of women aged 25-34 had a bachelor’s degree or higher.
High School Graduation	89.7% of female students graduate high school.
Core-aged Women	In November 2022, the participation rate and employment rate of core-aged women (aged 25 to 54) reached record highs.
Global Gender Gap Index Ranking	Canada is ranked 30th out of 146 countries on the 2023 Global Gender Gap Index. It benchmarks gender-based gaps in economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.
Women in Canada’s House of Commons	30%
Canada’s Place in Global Ranking of National Parliaments	59
Women of Colour in Board and Management	6.2%
Promotion Disparity	Women are 30% less likely than men to get promoted out of an entry-level job.
Contribution To GDP	28.5%

Women’s Empowerment in Canada

In 1971, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau appointed the first person responsible for women’s issues after a recommendation from the Royal Commission on the Status of Women. Since 1970, there has been a team and a leader, initially set up in the Privy Council Office, until it became its own department in 1976.

Gender Equality

The Married Women’s Property Act, which began in Ontario in 1884 and Manitoba in 1900, allowed married women to own property like men.
This law enabled married women to make legal agreements and buy property, marking a big step toward fairness for women in Canada.
The Famous Five, in 1928, asked the government if the word “persons” in the British North America Act, 1867, included women.
The Supreme Court said no because of old court decisions, laws that kept women out of politics, and no clear mention of women in the Act.
They asked a higher court, the Privy Council, which said yes in 1929, making women legally equal.
This big change meant women could now have the same rights as men under the law.
Cairine Reay Wilson became the first woman in the Senate in 1930, showing the real impact of this decision.
Wilson’s role was a big deal for women’s rights in Canadian politics, opening doors for more equality.
This decision marked a big moment in the fight for fairness and justice for women in Canada.
These legal and court changes show Canada’s growing commitment to treating everyone equally, regardless of gender.

Voting Rights

At the start of the 20th century, women couldn’t vote in provincial and federal elections in Canada.
In 1916, women in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta gained the right to vote in provincial elections. British Columbia and Ontario followed suit in 1917.
The War-time Elections Act of 1917 allowed women serving in the military and those with family fighting in World War I to vote. By 1918, all white women could vote in federal elections.
Despite federal changes, many provinces still limited women’s voting rights in provincial elections. Also, some minority groups were denied the vote.
Quebec was the last province to give women voting rights in provincial elections, doing so in 1940. The Northwest Territories did the same in 1951.
Starting in 1947, voting rights expanded to some minority groups, with all Canadians gaining the right to vote in 1960, including Aboriginal men and women.
The gradual widening of voting rights in the 20th century marked significant progress towards fairer and more inclusive democracy in Canada.
These legal changes reflected changing social attitudes and growing acknowledgment of the importance of equal political participation for everyone.
Despite these advances, challenges remained in achieving full electoral equality and addressing barriers to political involvement for marginalized groups.
The journey toward universal suffrage in Canada highlights the ongoing struggle for fairness and the continuous need for advocacy and activism to ensure equal rights for all citizens.

Labour Rights

One of the earliest big steps towards fairness between women and men at work happened when Ontario passed the Fair Employment Practices Act and the Female Employees Fair Remuneration Act in 1951.
The Fair Employment Practices Act aimed to stop unfair treatment by introducing fines and setting up a system for reporting discrimination.
At the same time, the Female Employees Fair Remuneration Act aimed to ensure that women were paid equally for the same work, addressing the pay gap between genders.
Other provinces and territories in Canada quickly followed Ontario’s lead by making similar laws to promote fairness at work.
Nationally, Canada introduced the Canada Fair Employment Practices Act of 1953, focusing on fairness in the government workforce.
The Female Employees Equal Pay Act of 1956 further strengthened efforts to stop unfair pay based on gender, making it illegal.
Additionally, the Employment Equity Act of 1986, applying to businesses under federal regulations, required them to find and remove barriers that stopped equal job opportunities.
These laws, both at the provincial and national levels, were important in making progress towards fairness between genders in the Canadian workplace.
They set examples for promoting equality and diversity in employment practices across different areas of Canada.
Together, these actions aimed to create a fairer and more inclusive workplace, offering more opportunities for women and supporting equality between genders in jobs.

Supporting The Rights of Women and Girls

Canada supports global efforts for women and girls’ empowerment through our international programs.
Canada advocated for gender equality in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
We were early signatories of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
In 1993, Canada contributed to the Vienna Declaration, affirming “women’s rights are human rights” and urging their integration into all UN activities.
We support resolutions to end violence against women and girls, including harmful practices like ‘honour’ crimes and female genital mutilation.
Canada played a role in ensuring sexual and gender-based crimes were addressed in the draft Statute for the International Criminal Court.
Our efforts contributed to the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women and the mandate for a UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women.
Canada launched an Action Plan in October 2010 to implement UN Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace, and Security.

Protecting Women’s Rights In Canada

Women’s rights are considered fundamental human rights, especially in Canada where historical disparities in treatment have been significant. Canada has various legal mechanisms in place to safeguard equality for women, including constitutional protections and legislation.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a cornerstone of Canadian law, grants constitutional protection to individual human rights, primarily in interactions between individuals and the government.
Additionally, the Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA) and provincial/territorial human rights laws cover equality concerns in relationships between individuals.
Sections 15 and 28 of the Charter are particularly relevant to equality matters; Section 15 ensures equal protection under the law regardless of various characteristics including sex, while Section 28 affirms equality of rights between men and women.
Court decisions have broadened the scope of prohibited discrimination beyond those explicitly listed in Section 15, encompassing factors such as citizenship, marital status, and sexual orientation.
The Canadian Human Rights Act of 1977 explicitly guarantees equality, fair treatment, and freedom from discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, marital status, and family status.
It applies to federal government entities, First Nations governments, and private companies regulated by the federal government, such as banks, broadcasters, and telecommunications firms.
The Canadian Human Rights Commission, established by the CHRA, investigates and resolves complaints of discrimination, referring them to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal for resolution if necessary.
In addition to the CHRA, other legislative acts like the Employment Equity Act and the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act play significant roles in promoting women’s equality in employment and compensation.

Women In Canadian History – (1645 – 2022)

Canada’s history has been shaped by many determined women who worked hard to promote and uphold gender equality. These women fought for important rights such as the right to vote in provincial and federal elections, the right to own property, the right to fair wages, and ultimately, the right to be seen as “persons” under the law. Nowadays, Canadian women are protected from unfair treatment based on factors like gender, age, and marital status by laws such as the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Year	Milestone
1645	Jeanne Mance founds Canada’s first hospital
1813	Laura Secord, Canadian heroine of the War of 1812
1853	Mary Ann Shadd Cary becomes the first Black newspaperwoman in North America
1867	Dr. Emily Stowe becomes the first Canadian woman physician to practice in Canada
1875	Grace Annie Lockhart pioneers women’s university education
1897	Clara Brett Martin becomes Canada’s first woman lawyer
1903	Emma Baker is the first woman to receive a Ph.D. from a Canadian university
1914-1918	First female officers serve with the Canadian Army Medical Corps
1916	Women in Manitoba become the first in Canada to win the right to vote
1917	Louise McKinney and Roberta MacAdams Price are the first women elected to a legislature in the British Empire
1918	Some women are granted the right to vote in federal elections
1921	Agnes Macphail becomes the first woman elected to the House of Commons
1924	Cecile Eustace Smith represents Canada in an Olympic Games for the first time
1927	The Famous Five petition in the groundbreaking Persons Case
1929	Women are declared as “persons”
1941	Women’s Divisions are established in the Army Corps and the Royal Canadian Navy
1954	Elsie Knott is the first woman elected chief of a First Nation community
1960	All Canadian women are given the right to vote
1967	The Royal Commission on the Status of Women is established
1969	Réjane Laberge-Colas is the first woman appointed as a judge to a superior court
1970	Report of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women is tabled in Parliament
1971	The Canadian Labour Code is amended
1977	The Canadian Human Rights Act is created
1979	Nellie J. Cournoyea becomes the first woman to serve as premier of a territory
1981	Women’s rights are enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
1983	Jeanne Sauvé becomes the first woman to serve as Governor General of Canada
1987	Combat roles in the Royal Canadian Air Force are opened to women
1992	Dr. Roberta Bondar is the first Canadian woman astronaut sent into space
1993	Jean Augustine is the first Black Canadian woman elected to the House of Commons
1993	Kim Campbell is the first woman Prime Minister of Canada
1995	Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action is adopted
1996	Sexual orientation is added to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
2001	Canadian Human Rights Commission recommends a pay equity system
2001	A task force to address pay equity is appointed
2004	The Standing Committee on the Status of Women is established
2005	Same-sex marriage becomes legal nationwide
2009	Josée Kurtz becomes the first woman to command a major Canadian warship
2012	Canada leads a successful international campaign at the United Nations to establish the International Day of the Girl
2015	First gender-balanced Cabinet in Canadian history is announced
2015	National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is launched
2017	Gender expression and gender identity are added to the Canadian Human Rights Act
2017	Canada takes action against gender-based violence
2019	Karen Jensen becomes the first-ever Canada’s Pay Equity Commissioner
2019	Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is released
2022	The endorsement of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence is a significant step towards gender equality

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Women Empowerment in Canada – FAQs

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Committed to advancing equality with respect to sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression through the inclusion of people of all genders, including women, in Canada’s economic, social, and political life.

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Canada firmly believes that promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls is the most effective approach to achieving this goal.

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