- Further evidence that women in general are becoming better
educated is that fewer women leave school before Grade 9:
- Illiteracy, (less than a Grade 9 education) declined among
women, from 24% to 20% between 1976 and 1985.
- By 1981, fewer than 10% of women age 24-35 had less than a
Grade 9 education.
- Illiteracy declined substantially in rural areas and among
Francophones:
- Illiteracy among rural women declined by 7 percentage
points, from 31% in 1976 to 24% in 1981, compared to a decline among urban
women of 5 percentage points, from 24% in 1976 to 19% in 1981.
-
Illiteracy among Francophones declined by 15 percentage points, from 43% in
1971 to 28% in 1981 and among Anglophones by 2 percentage points, from 24% in
1971 to 22% in 1981.
- While women generally are becoming better educated, certain
sub-groups continue to lag in educational attainment as they have in the past:
- A substantial number of older women remain illiterate. In
1981, 18% of 35-44 year old women, 30% of 45-54 year old women and 37% of 55-64
year old women had less than a Grade 9 education.
Further, older women
who solely support their children are even less likely than other older women
to have more than a Grade 9 education.
- Rates of illiteracy remain high among those whose mother
tongue is a Native language (75% in 1971; 59% in 1981), and among those who
live in Quebec (35% in 1976; 28% in 1981), and in Newfoundland (35% in 1976;
29% in 1981).
- In addition, the rate of illiteracy remains high among young
as well as older female sole support parents (28% in 1981, as compared to 21%
for the general female population age 18-64 years). This is a significant
problem because the number of female heads of fur/lilies is increasing and
their need to earn an adequate income is urgent.
These sub-groups of
women continue to require access to Adult Basic Education.
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