More Disappointing News for Women in Canada According to New CASW Report

Posted on September 17, 2009 in Debates, Equality Debates, Governance Debates

casw-acts.ca – Immediate Release – More Disappointing News for Women in Canada According to New CASW Report.
September 16, 2009

While it may seem hard to believe, in 2009 women are still worse off financially than men, according to the most recent report by the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW).

The CASW report Comparing Women’s Income in 2000 and 2005: Improvements and Disappointments, released today, compares data analyzed in 2001 with most recent 2006 census data. As the title of the report suggests, while there are some improvements, there continue to be many disappointments in efforts to address the income disparity experienced by women.

On the positive side, women’s income, on average, has risen over the five-year cycle, and fewer women fall below the Low Income Cutoffs of Statistics Canada. On the down side, the ratio of women’s income to that of men remains relatively stagnant, and women continue to have disproportionately low income relative to men. In addition, visible minority women are poorer than the majority of women. Other recent reports, such as a new study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, also raise awareness about the high rates of women’s poverty, indicating that almost one-quarter (24%) of Canadian women raising children on their own are poor.

“Since beginning its series of reports on the poverty on women in 2003, CASW has lobbied for policy changes such as indexing OAS and GIS to wages rather than prices, expanding federal government funding for a national licensed child-care program, and expanding employment insurance – all of which would greatly improve the economic situation of women in Canada,” stated CASW President Darlene MacDonald. “Social workers’ daily professional practice demonstrates that women living in poverty mean families and children living in poverty, and CASW will continue to support these policy changes and advocate for women’s economic equality once and for all.”

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For more information:

Darlene MacDonald, MSW, RSW
President

casw@casw-acts.ca

Tel.: 613.729.6668

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