PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN AND MEN WITH TRADE CERTIFICATES
1981

Source: Census of Canada, 1981.

TABLE 3 indicates the education level of women who are single heads of families and who, therefore, solely support themselves and their children. This group merits particular examination because these women are over- represented among low-income families.

It could be speculated that these women are poor because they have a low level of education and, therefore, earn a lower wage. However, as TABLE 3 shows, the largest group of these sole support mothers (age 35-54 and comprising 43% of the total group) are about as well educated as other women in this age group (i.e., single women with no children or married women). Thus, it appears that these women are poor because they earn "women's" wages and support themselves and their children on this inadequate income.

Since the education level of female heads of families is not substantially lower than that of other women in an equivalent age group, the wages they receive for performing "women's work" is clearly the cause of their low-income status. Thus, pay equity and job desegregation remain key issues to address in the years ahead in order to improve the status of these women.

Older and younger female heads of families are more likely to have an educational attainment of Grade 9 or less than their comparable age groups in the general population. Since more than half of older female single parents have less than a Grade 9 education, there is a great need to provide educational up-grading for this group.

In the case of young women who are considered illiterate, it is likely that they left school to marry and have children. Thus, it is essential to make the educational upgrading of these women a governmental priority so that they become better able to support themselves and their families.