Statistics Canada has published a report based on sex which reports on the qualifications and skills of women in Canada today. In addition to the fact that women’s level of education has significantly increased, the report focuses on the study of technology.
Women’s level of education appears to have surpassed that of men, according to the report from Statistics Canada. Indeed, the proportion of persons aged 25 to 64 with a university certificate or degree rose from 15% to 35% among women between 1991 and 2015, compared to a change from 19% to 29% among men. More and more women arecompleting post-secondary studies.
It should also be noted that the share of women for whom a high school diploma is the highest level achieved has significantly decreased (31% in 1991 compared to 23% in 2015) while among men, this figure has changed little (26% in 1991, 25% in 2015). Finally, in general, the percentage of persons with neither a certificate nor diploma nor a degree has dropped, falling from 31% to 9% among women, and from 31% to 11% among men.
Room for improvement in technology
Among the fields in which there is still progress to be made are the STEMs (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and computer). Indeed, while in 2011 women accounted for the majority of degree holders aside from STEM (61% of graduates were women), within this field they were only 33%. However, in a 2015 report, the Council of Canadian Academies pointed out that STEM skills will improve the quality of life and encouraged underrepresented groups, particularly women, to get involved.
Séverine Dégallaix