Canadian Politics. Position of women in the work place and Essay

Canadian Politics. Position of women in the work place and globalization - Essay Example However, when the Royal Commission on the Status of Women (RCSW) practically assessed the ground reality of the severity and employment challenges faced by women, the Commission concludes that the â€Å"position of women employees in the Government of Canada deserves close examination, not only because the Government employs a large number of women in a different variety of occupations, but also because the Government’s employment practices should demonstrate its principles†( RCSW, p.108). Since then, Canadian women have started experiencing some forward movement toward equality in the workplace and simultaneously, the public opinion tends to percept that women’s employment issues are by and large â€Å"solved† internationally as well ( UN, 2004,p.25). However, much is still required to be changed as such notions are perhaps overstated. The findings of the International Angus Reid poll surveyed that the employment markets in the developed nations such as A ustralia, Canada, United States and Great Britain found that less than a quarter of total respondents did not disagree that the gender equality in the developed nations have considerably achieved its required level; however, a majority of women in these four countries provided their consent that the governments in their respective nations ought to do more to gain the point of actual gender equality (Angus Reid, 2010). Additionally, in the same findings, Angus Reid (2010) accounts for the Canada’s ranking in the Global Gender Gap Report, which is annually published by the World Economic Forum. Canada’s current position, 31st in 2008, at number 20 is considerably lower than its previous rankings of 7 in 2005, 14 in 2006 and 18 in 2007. Prior to these facts, the Employment Equity Act was enacted into the legislature with its intent to achieve workplace equality so that no person shall be denied employment opportunities or employment benefits for reasons other than ability and, in appropriate achievement of goal, and to correct the situations and conditions of disadvantage in employment faced and experienced by aboriginal persons, women and people with disabilities and members of visible minorities by providing effect to the principle that employment equity means more than treating persons in the same way but also needs special measures and accommodation of differences (Employment Equity Act). Consequently, the original Employment Equity Act was passed in 1986 by the Progressive Conservative Government in response to the findings and recommendations of the Abella Commission. It came into force in 1987 requiring both federally regulated companies and Crown corporations having 100 or more employees are required to determine and develop equity programs and plans to eliminate workplace barriers to the participation of the above mentioned groups. The progress on the equity programs seems to be limited in scope and domain. The most improvement in employmen t tends to be for non-disabled, white women (Agocs, 2002; Leck & Saunders, 1992). In addition, while taking into account women having dual status as women with a disability or women of color, the findings have hinted that the employment equity programs seem to be affiliated with more representative hiring of women with dual status into employment in the clerical positions (Leck & Saunders,1992, p.216). Furthermore, the 2009 Senate Committee on Human Rights highlight the fact that the little data is provided to indicate whether or not recruitment rates, retention rates, representation rates or executive advancement rates offer difference for women and men within these designated groups: Aboriginal, visible minorities, and