Madam Chair, distinguished members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to speak today.
With regard to the focus of the committee's study on the economic security of women in Canada and equal participation of women in the Canadian economy, we can provide some specific examples in the natural sciences and engineering regarding problems affecting women's equity in these fields, and what the lack of equity means for women's income, occupational segregation, and access to key growth sectors.
As an agency, NSERC seeks to invest in the best research to create world firsts in knowledge. And we seek to collaborate with industry so that they can use and take this knowledge to market.
To be successful in these goals, we know we need to increase diversity and gender equity in science and engineering.
I can assure you that we are not only concerned about this issue, but that we have been taking action, collaborating at the tri-agency level with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and working with other stakeholders, to tackle this challenge.
First, I will give some background on the current state of women in science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM fields.
At the time of graduation from secondary school, the number of girls in STEM fields is slightly higher than the number of boys. However, starting at the bachelor's level, the enrolment of women is lower than that of men. In 2014-15, it was 38% for females and 62% for males for bachelor's programs. This difference increases at the master's and doctoral levels.
This under-representation of women studying in STEM fields at university is reflected in their representation at the career stage, where women comprise between 18% and 23% of the STEM labour force. In the academic sector, the highest proportion of women is among those who hold lecturer and instructor, non-tenure track positions. This means that the majority of women academics in these fields hold lower-rank positions, and their salaries are correspondingly lower.
Under-representation in STEM fields also means occupational segregation, barriers and obstacles experienced by under-represented groups in terms of the work culture, unconscious biases, micro-aggressions, gendered language, and so forth. It contributes to hiring and promotion biases, salary differences, and women leaving these fields or making other choices of where to work. It also means that fewer women access key growth sectors, such as IT and artificial intelligence.
Under-representation of women in STEM fields means that fewer women are eligible to apply for NSE grants. This means that fewer women are in a position to conduct cutting-edge research and to define and influence research priorities, policy, social development, and knowledge that benefit all individuals in our society, across all genders and other diversity factors.
The expectation that the under-representaion of women in STEM will change over time due to a gradual increase in the enrolment of women in some disciplines is not a well-founded assumption. The achievement of equity will take decades unless we make equity, diversity, and inclusion priorities in our policy development and change how we understand scientific excellence.
Diversity and gender equity are key priorities in our current strategic plan, NSERC 2020. They are also highlighted in the strategic goal, “Building a diversified and competitive research base”. This commitment is operationalized primarily through actions outlined in NSERC's framework on diversity and gender equity.
This framework implements a tri-agency response to the 2012 Council of Canadian Academies' report, “Strengthening Canada's Research Capacity: The Gender Dimension”. It also comprises the implementation of NSERC's 2015 commitment to Status of Women Canada's departmental action plan on gender-based analysis.
We have taken a number of measures that you have described there, in terms of looking at our programs and ensuring the integration of team members and people participating.
We have also updated NSERC's guidelines and indicators of research excellence to counter the gender-bias associated with taking career leaves for family responsibilities.
We also have programs that help improve the situation.
NSERC's PromoScience program offers financial support for organizations working with young Canadians to promote an understanding of STEM fields, with a particular focus on reaching girls, young women and other underrepresented groups.
Additionally, the Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering program (CWSE) aims to increase and retain the participation of women in science and engineering, and to provide role models, mentoring and outreach for women active in, and considering, careers in these fields. The CWSE program is regional—with one chair for each of the Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Prairies, and British Columbia/Yukon regions, and each chair is appointed for a five-year term.
In closing, I would like to formally invite all of the members of this committee to the upcoming Gender Summit in Montreal that is co-hosted by NSERC and the Fonds de recherche du Québec. The summit takes place from November 6 to 8, under the overarching theme of “Embracing pluralism and thriving through diversity—shaping science and innovation.” The aim of the summit is twofold: to make gender equality in research and innovation the norm and to embed gender equality as a primary dimension of quality. I hope that you will be able to attend.
Thank you for your attention. We would be pleased to answer any questions you may have.