Liberals fund $10M in projects to tackle income insecurity for women

Projects to help women get jobs in the aviation industry and to support immigrant women fleeing domestic violence will receive funding through a new $10 million federal program to promote income equality.

Status of Women Minister Maryam Monsef will make the announcement in Edmonton today.

More than 30 projects will receive funding in the first phase of the program, including several that aim to break down barriers to women's economic security through improving access to childcare, closing the gender wage gap and addressing pay inequity.

The program's second phase will fund projects that encourage organizations to partner with the private sector to "find innovative solutions to advance women's economic security."

Monsef said the projects will help create the right conditions for women to thrive in their careers.

"When women are without good jobs and stable incomes, we all bear the costs and consequences," she said in a statement.

"By funding organizations that will target the barriers holding women back, we are ensuring that all Canadians, regardless of gender, have a real and fair chance at success."

Women in the workforce

Among the initiatives that will receive funding today are:

• Elevate Aviation, receiving $426,410 for a three-year national project to help women access careers in the aviation industry.
• The Calgary Immigrant Women's Association (CIWA), getting $313,693 for a three-year project to identify economic barriers faced by immigrant women fleeing domestic violence and to improve access to jobs.
• The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta, in line for $350,000 for a project to boost women's participation in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. The three-year project aims to influence workplace culture to attract more women in STEM professions.

Part-time work

According to figures provided by Status of Women, Canadian women earned 87 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2015.

Women are also more likely than men to work part-time. Women account for 76 per cent of all part-time workers and about a quarter of them cite childcare responsibilities as the main reason they work part-time.

Alberta MP Randy Boissonnault will also be on hand for today's announcement.