In order to ensure the most effective use of limited resources, and to allow for priority-setting, it is necessary to develop a clear vision of the desirable future of the end-point when advocacy work would no longer be necessary.

This visioning process makes it possible to develop an integrated and comprehensive framework into which specific issues can be placed. Such a framework is essential to prevent fragmentation of effort and being co-opted by external interests.

Women in the Canadian Economy

Our research on women's current status for this study found that, despite the advocacy efforts of feminists during the last two decades, women's work is still neither visible nor fully valued. By 1985, women made up 43% of the labour force in Canada. By the year 2000, it is expected that women will make up a full 50% of the labour force. Unfortunately, equal numbers does not mean equality. Women's work generally is characterized by segregation into occupations characterized by poor pay, poor working conditions, vulnerability to technological change, insecurity of tenure and high rates of involuntary part-time work. Seven out of every ten part-time positions are held by women. The wage gap between the average male and average female wage has narrowed slightly during the last decade but still, in 1980, the average woman earned only 64% of the average man's wage. Women with low education levels feel the effects of this situation most keenly. A recent Economic Council of Canada (1987) report found that, for example, the effect of technological change has been to reduce employment opportunities for all those with less than Grade 9 by 15.4%. In contrast, those with more than Grade 9 but no university were affected negatively by 7.7%, while those with university actually increased their share of employment by 3.4% as a direct result of technological changes.

With respect to education and training, we found that women get less 'value' out of their education than men. For example, women with the highest levels of education university graduates still are much more likely than men to be unemployed after graduation; and the wage gap, while it is less, is still significant. In spite of this, women's education levels are the single most significant factor in predicting whether any individual women will gain access to high quality, continuing employment.

The Policy Analysis

Our analysis of the impact of federal and provincial education and training policies on economic equality for women yielded the following results.