Social Policy in Ontario

PolicyAlternatives.ca – publications/reports
March 8, 2021.   Katherine Scott

Download

864.51 KB   67 pages

This report looks at the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economic security of women in Canada and the current efforts to respond to urgent economic need in the short- to medium-term, as well as demands for fundamental systemic change moving forward. Do Canada’s pandemic responses measure up? Are they providing essential financial support to those in need? Are they working to eliminate systemic barriers facing women—and marginalized women, in particular—in the labour market? Are they setting a course for an intersectional feminist recovery—one that not only recovers lost ground, but also tackles long-standing economic disparities?

The study focuses on three areas:

• It examines the impact of COVID-19 on women’s participation in the labour market since the pandemic struck in spring of 2020;
• It assesses the impact of federal and provincial government programs and income supports through a gendered and intersectional lens;
• And it examines gaps in the system and proposes measures to help women get through the COVID crisis and ensure their speedy return to the labour market once the worst of the crisis is over.