Quebec women gaining, but plenty left to do

The Quebec Council on the Status of Women has released the 2018 edition of the Portrait des Québécoises, published annualy since 2006, and brings together the most recent data in nine areas of economic and social life to assess progress and measure the remaining inequalities between women and men.

Demographics, family status, education, work, income, politics and governance, time use, health and violence are examined in turn.

While the data reveals an improvement in the situation of women in different aspects, they highlight remaining inequalities. Women are more than twice as likely to work part-time as men, while a gender gap remains in the average earnings of full-time workers. Women remain largely in the majority of victims of conjugal crime and sexual assault. The progress made in certain areas can nonetheless be a source of inspiration for a goal of equality between women and men in Quebec.

In the domestic sphere, women continue to spend more time than men on domestic chores, act more often as caregivers, and spend more time on these tasks. The portrait also reveals that women are overrepresented among single parents.

The situation of women in 2018 seems favorable in several respects, particularly in terms of education and access to employment. The presence of women has improved in some traditionally male occupations. However, the choices of sectors, fields of study and career are still largely traditional, as evidenced by the strong representation of women in health and their under-representation in applied sciences and engineering.

The mission of the Council for the Status of Women is to advise the Quebec government and to inform the population about issues of equality between women and men.

To consult the digital edition, visit://www.csf.gouv.qc.ca/portrait-quebecoises-2018.