Women’s Employment as a Social Determinant of Women’s Health & Economic Globalization Toba Bryant Dennis Raphael Ted Schrecker Ronald Labonte Globalization and the Health of Canadians

Overview Background Examine employment as a social determinant of women’s health and impact of economic globalization on employment and Canadian labour market. Compare Canadian women’s situation with women in other jurisdictions. Public Policy Direction and Implication for Canada.

Background – Economic Vulnerability of Women Women, among vulnerable populations including racialized populations, young people, that experience disadvantage in labour market. Relationship with labour market: Breaks to accommodate primary caregiving within their families, or further education and training. More part-time and precarious employment compared to men. Gendered labour market: Women earn less than men; fewer job opportunities, although women often have more post-secondary education compared to men.

Women’s employment “For those women currently part of couples, and … protected from poverty by a male income, the reality is that they remain just a husband or a partner away from poverty.” (Daly & Rake, 2003:115. Source: Daly, M. & Rake, K. (2003). Gender and the welfare state: Care, work and welfare in Europe and the USA. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.

Hypotheses I. Women in Liberal welfare states may show increasing evidence over time of lower employment rates, more precarious and part-time work, and more low-waged work as compared to women in Social Democratic welfare states.

Research Questions How do women’s employment – and related income situations – in liberal welfare states compare with those of women in conservative and social democratic welfare states? How can these differences between nations be explained by differing public policies related to form of the welfare state? How do Canadian women’s income compare with that of Canadian men?

Research Questions How does the process of economic globalization interact with form of welfare state to shape women’s employment – and related income -- situations? What policies would positively mediate the impact of economic globalization on women’s employment – and related income – situations in Canada?

Frameworks Political economy: Politics and economics as integrally related; emphasis on role of political ideology, market – esp. economic globalization in restructuring the labour market. Welfare state analysis: Form of the welfare state mediates impact of economic globalization by influencing degree of state intervention (Coburn, 2004).

Key Findings Women in liberal welfare states have not gained ground in labour market since Employment rates have been stable over time with little improvement or change. Increasing income and employment segregation for women in Liberal and Conservative WS. Women’s employment in these welfare states tends to be part-time, low-waged, and precarious.

Social Democratic Welfare States Foreign trade and investment have always been important in these countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden). Higher government intervention in labour market, i.e. more regulation. Strong labour movements, formation of workers congresses involved in key decisions about how to structure national labour movements during late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Strong Nordic non-governmental organizations are involved in European Union.

Pathways Liberal Welfare States: Few proactive initiatives. Since 2008, federal government claims: “ Canada’s Economic Action Plan is working for Canadians. Helping workers get better jobs through apprenticeship grants and improved student loans. Funding innovative research to keep us competitive. Canada’s Economic Action Plan is creating jobs, growth and prosperity.”

Public Policies to Mediate Economic Globalization: What Canada can learn from other countries? More multisectorial activity and financing involving non-profit and private sectors, government, labour movements, and local governments, among others in European cities (Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE, 2008). Canada: No national transportation plan, housing plan, or day care program. Few job creation initiatives or other supports for workers, especially women.

References Coburn, D. (2004). Beyond the income inequality hypothesis: Class, neo-liberalism, and health inequalities. Social Science & Medicine 58: Daly, M. & Rake, K. (2003). Gender and the welfare state: Care, work and welfare in Europe and the USA. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press. Korpi, T. & Stern, C. (2003). Women’s employment in Sweden: Globalization, deindustrialization, and the labour market experiences of Swedish women, Stockholm: Swedish Institute for Social Research. Power, A., Ploger, J., & Winkler, A. (2008). Transforming cities across Europe: An interim report on problems and progress. London: Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion London School of Economics and Political Science.