Women and visible minorities poorly represented in top positions
The bar is still different for women and visible minorities to achieve leadership positions than for men: report
OVERWHELMINGLY MALE. Blindingly white.
Those are the findings from a joint YWCA Hamilton-McMaster University report that looks at gender and diversity in leadership across Hamilton and Halton.
Across virtually every sector, the numbers of women and visible minorities in positions of authority are under-represented compared to their proportions of the general population.
The EXCLerator report looked at the representation of women and visible minorities across a number of sectors, including elected officials, education institutions, public sector executives, and the boards and executives of corporations and volunteer organizations in Hamilton and Halton.
“The bar is still different for women and visible minorities to achieve leadership positions than for men,” bluntly states the EXCLerator report.
Just 20 per cent of city and regional councillors in Hamilton and Halton are women, and fewer than 4 per cent are visible minorities.
In Hamilton, visible minorities make up about 19 per cent of the population and about 26 per cent of Halton’s population. Women make up slightly more than 50 per cent of the population in both places.
For Hamilton and Halton-based corporations with more than 50 employees and $50 million in annual revenue, just 7 per cent of executives and board members are visible minorities, and 19 per cent are women.
“The corporate sector must acknowledge that it remains the most laggard in terms of diversity in leadership, and will likely need to take more onerous steps in addressing this lack of inclusivity,” the report states.
For public sector executives, a meagre 2 per cent are visible minorites and 41 per cent are women. The report looked at all municipal and regional government positions of general manager, commissioner and director, in addition to chiefs and deputy chiefs of police, fire, and emergency services — a total of 124 positions in all.
“Visible minorities are less likely to see themselves represented in leadership, whether it’s at the city or in big institutions or the media,” Yohana Otite said recently. She’s the executive director of the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion.
“There should be a real effort to move toward true inclusion,” she said.
ONE AREA THAT CAME CLOSE
to representing the general population were the boards and executives of volunteer organizations, where 13 per cent are visible minorities and 51 per cent are women.
The report notes a lack of social policy supports for working families, which perpetuate gender inequalities when it comes to domestic obligations such as child care.
“Attitudinal biases are interwoven with societal and structural barriers that continue to stunt women’s advancement,” the EXCLerator report states.
“When maternity leaves are encouraged over paternity leaves or when women are encouraged to work part-time after the birth of a child, while men are discouraged from doing so, the social perception that women’s primary concerns should be domestic are reinforced,” the report notes.
Just as troubling is the gender gap when it comes to salaries.
An investigation by The Spectator’s Joanna Frketich last month showed there are only two women among the top 25 public sector earners in Hamilton and Burlington.
The top nine earners were men. The top woman on the local list earned roughly half what the top man earned.
The EXCLerator report notes the gender pay gap is a national issue.
“Research suggests that at the current rate of advancement, Canada will not close the gender pay gap for another 228 years,” according to the report.
The report suggests there’s plenty of room for improvement in Hamilton, according to Terry Cooke, president and CEO of the Hamilton Community Foundation.
“In terms of access to opportunity and having institutions and leadership reflect the diversity of the community, we have a lot of work to do,” said Cooke.
“How do we make sure that over time we’re creating opportunities that make sure our institutions are a better reflection of the composition of the community,” he said, “so that every kid can look to their future and say, ‘I can see myself as a chief of police or as a member of city council.’
“Clearly, the numbers suggest we’re not doing as well as we should be on that front.”
“The corporate sector must acknowledge that it remains the most laggard in terms of diversity in leadership ...” EXCLERATOR
Joint report, YWCA Hamilton & McMaster University “Visible minorities are less likely to see themselves represented in leadership, whether it’s at the city or in big institutions or the media.” YOHANA OTITE
Executive director, Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion An investigation by the Spectator’s Joanna Frketich last month showed there are only two women among the top 25 public sector earners in Hamilton and Burlington. “In terms of access to opportunity and having institutions and leadership reflect the diversity of the community, we have a lot of work to do.” TERRY COOKE
CEO, Hamilton Community Foundation