One of the ways Status of Women Canada advances gender equality in Canada is by providing funding to eligible organizations through the Women’s Program.

One of the ways Status of Women Canada advances gender equality in Canada is by providing funding to eligible organizations through the Women’s Program. Projects are selected via calls for proposals on specific themes, as well as through a continuous intake process that allows the Women’s Program to accept applications on an ongoing basis.

The Women’s Program funds projects of 36 months or less that address systemic barriers to women’s equality in three priority areas: ending violence against women and girls; improving the economic security of women and girls; and encouraging women and girls in leadership roles.

Calls for Proposals – Support for Women’s Economic Security and Addressing the Economic Security and Prosperity of Indigenous Women

On October 2, 2017, the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of Status of Women, launched two calls for proposals. The first call, entitled Support for Women’s Economic Security, invited organizations to apply for funding for projects to address the economic security of women and help advance gender equality in Canada. More than 30 projects will receive a total of $10 million in funding through this call for proposals.

This call is divided into two themes; the first is Building Partnerships to Address Systemic Barriers, which provides funding to address major barriers that limit women’s economic security, including, but not limited to, the accessibility of child care, the gender wage gap and pay inequity.

The second theme, Increasing Private Sector Leadership and Investments in Women, encourages organizations to partner with the private sector to find innovative solutions that will help advance women’s economic security.

The second call for proposals, entitled Addressing the Economic Security and Prosperity of Indigenous Women, invited organizations to foster collaboration between Indigenous women, Indigenous organizations, their communities, and the private sector to support the economic security and prosperity of Indigenous women across Canada. The results of this call for proposals will be announced at a later date.

Funded Project

The Information and Communication Technologies Association of Manitoba is a not-for-profit, industry-focused association representing Manitoba's Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector. Its goal is to achieve greater recognition of the sector’s contribution in the province. Through collaboration, networking and presenting key events like conferences and workshops, the organization brings together government, educators, non-profits, private enterprise and consumers to promote and lead the rise of the information and communication technologies industry in Manitoba.

This 36-month project, entitled “Building Gender Parity in Manitoba’s ICT Sector”, will increase the recruitment and retention of women in the ICT sector by working to eliminate systemic workplace culture barriers impeding women's economic success through opportunities, resources and supports. Main activities include strengthening partnerships, creating a leadership council, developing and implementing a digital economy action plan, and marketing and communication outreach.

Statistics – Women’s Economic Security

• In 2015, 82.0% of women in the core working ages of 25 to 54 years (6 million) participated in the labour market.
• In 2015, women represented 47.2% of the labour force, up from 45.7% in 1999 and 37.1% in 1976.
• In 2015, the national employment rate for women was 77.5% compared to 85.3% for men.
• On average women work 5.6 hours per week less than men (35.5 hours/week compared to 41.1 hours/week).
• Currently,19% of employed women work part-time (compared with 5.5% of employed men).
• The average net worth of lone mothers was less than half of that of lone fathers: $240,000 versus $540,000. Unattached women and men had similar average net worth at $250,000 and $230,000, respectively.
• Lone mothers had the lowest average adjusted income ($25,300), followed by those who were unattached ($33,700). The average adjusted incomes of lone fathers and unattached men were similar (around $40,300). Notably, the average adjusted income of lone mothers was $15,000 less than that of lone fathers.