On Education and Equality:

We found a general and apparently increasing recognition on the part of politicians and bureaucrats of the legitimacy and importance of equality issues for women. Unfortunately, this recognition has not been translated into specific supporting policies designed to increase the effectiveness of education and training in creating greater economic equality for women in Canada. There is, however, considerable consensus about the three most critical areas for policy development at this moment in the history of the Canadian women's movement: equal pay for work of equal value; equal employment opportunity; and the restructuring of work and family life in order to weave together the areas of separation between life in the formal and informal areas of the economy.

On Public Education:

One prerequisite for structural change is a change in predominating values and attitudes. In spite of this, policy statements tend to focus on the development of the skills of individual women, rather than on the prior need to educate the community at large for changes in public attitude. Our interviews revealed a strongly identified need for high profile, well-funded public education campaigns.

On the Next Economy:

Existing policies and programs are based on a reality which is fast disappearing. As an example, one very disturbing element of the discussion around women's entry into non-traditional occupations is that, generally, there is no distinction made between those jobs which are non-traditional and also enjoy good prospects for future employment. On the other hand, the service sector, where many women's jobs are already concentrated, is in fact where most new jobs are expected to emerge. The problem there is that most women are segregated into areas of the service sector where jobs are of low quality. In our view, training of women for high quality jobs in non-traditional areas must go hand-in-hand with the revaluing and restructuring of jobs in traditional sectors so that women have access to high quality jobs across all sectors of the economy. The central issue then, is not access to non-traditional jobs, but access to high quality jobs.

On the Doubly-Disadvantaged:

Women are already disadvantaged within the formal labour market. Those who are poor, have low education levels, are disabled, are immigrants, are native people, or live in geographically isolated areas carry a double disadvantage. With respect to special means for the improvement of the situation of these women, we found very few significant initiatives. For example, although literacy, the need for basic education, and the need for improved access to language and occupational training for immigrant women are becoming more visible problems, total resources allocated to education in these areas remain minute. Although increased federal resources through the Canadian Jobs Strategy are being allocated to the disadvantaged, there is considerable evidence that at the provincial and local level, resources are disappearing. Although we were unable to gather conclusive evidence, it appears that the result may be a net loss.

On Access:

It is clear that the messages which CCLOW and other groups have been sending regarding access are increasingly being heard. Unfortunately, there is no cause for complacency. Although there is some movement forward with respect to child care and financial support for training within federal programs, other access issues have not been directly addressed. For example, we were unable to find evidence anywhere of policies addressing the implications of the relationship between women's work in the informal and formal economies. Another area of concern is women's access to apprenticeship programs. Except in hairdressing, cosmetology and cookery, women are severely under represented in apprenticeship programs all across the country.