How has the situation for women in our union changed over the past 20 years? In 1985, CUPE produced a special edition of The Facts on women’s issues. We’ve compared the facts in that issue to today to illustrate how the situation for women in CUPE has both improved and deteriorated in the last two decades.
|
|
1985 |
2005 |
|
Total number of CUPE members |
300,000 |
550,000 |
|
Percentage of members who are women |
about 47% |
about 66% |
|
Number of members on the national executive board (NEB) |
20 |
23 |
|
Number of women on the NEB |
5 (or 25%) |
3 (or 13%) |
|
Number of women presidents of provincial divisions |
4 |
1 |
|
Percentage of women who were delegates to the CUPE national convention (*1983 data) |
41%* |
51% |
|
Percentage of staff representatives who are women |
12.9% |
43.4% |
|
Number of women directors and managing directors of national union departments |
1 |
4 |
|
Women’s average earnings as a percentage of men’s average earnings in Canada (*2003 data) |
60% |
71%* |
|
Percentage of part-time jobs in Canada held by women |
71.5% |
70% |
|
Percentage of Canadian mothers with children aged 3-5 in the paid labour force (*1982 data) |
53%* |
70% |
Source: CUPE The Facts, vol.7, no.3, May-June 1985; Strategic Directions Policy, CUPE National convention, 2005;Statistics Canada.