Percentage of female faculty at Canadian universities is growing – Statistics Canada

OTTAWA – Women account for an increasing percentage of full-time faculty on Canadian campuses, according to new data released by Statistics Canada.

The Full-time University and College Academic Staff System (FT-UCASS) survey results, released this morning, show that 40 per cent of full-time academic teaching staff at Canadian postsecondary institutions are female, up from 36.6 per cent in 2010. Survey results also show a narrow salary gap between male and female faculty, with female academics earning 95 to 97 per cent of their male counterparts, depending on rank.

“We are very pleased to see this growth in gender equity on university campuses,” said Paul Davidson, president of Universities Canada. “And we know more must be done. Adding to the diversity of voices, knowledge and expertise across the university community is essential to achieving excellence in teaching, research and innovation.”

Canadian universities’ commitment to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion on campuses was reinforced with the launch in October of Universities Canada’s Inclusive Excellence Principles and five-year action plan.

Other survey findings:

• The overall number of full-time academic teaching staff has edged up by 1.6% since 2010-2011. At the same time, university enrolments in these institutions increased by 7.5% from 2010-2011 to 2014-2015
• University professors are aging; in 2016-2017, the median age of teaching staff was 51, compared to 37 in 1970

The first installment of this new data was released in April 2017. This is the first year since 2010 that Statistics Canada has collected data on full-time academic staff since the survey was cancelled in 2012. Universities Canada welcomed Minister of Science Kirsty Duncan’s decision to reinstate the UCASS survey in 2016, noting that it demonstrates the federal government’s commitment to evidence-based policy and decision making.

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