Today marks International Women’s Day, a chance for us to celebrate the progress women have made toward achieving gender equality. It’s also an opportunity to mark the social, economic, cultural and political contributions and achievements of women and girls.
In 2021, women represented over a third (35.6%) of people aged 15 and older in Canada who held a management position. Similarly, the proportion of women aged 15 and older in a senior management position has risen, from 24.1% in 2001 to 30.9% in 2021.
Women have also made great strides in politics over the past two decades. As of July 1, 2021, 48.6% of ministers appointed to federal Cabinet were women, a peak in Canada. Almost 20 years earlier, on July 1, 2002, the proportion of women in Cabinet was 24.3%.
The same trend was observed on First Nation band councils. In 2019, 27.4% of women held a seat on a band council, compared with 20.5% in 1992.
Interestingly, in 2018, over four in five (80.2%) women reported volunteering in their communities—a testament to their social commitment.
In 2016, 39.0% of postsecondary science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduates aged 25 to 34 were women, while this proportion was 26.8% for the 55-to-64 age group. Immigrant women accounted for 51.2%% of all women 25 years and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher in STEM, and represented 34% of all women with a bachelor’s degree or higher.
So, be proud to mark this important day and continue to showcase women all over the country.
For more gender-based data, see the Sex, Gender and Sexual Orientation Statistics Hub.
Contact information
For more information, contact the Statistical Information Service (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).