Labour Force Activity of Women in Canada: A Comparative Analysis of Aboriginal and Non‐Aboriginal Women*

Abstract

En s'appuyant sur les données du Fichier de mierodonnées à grande diffusion (FMGD) de 1996 sur les individus, cet article examine L'activité sur le marché du travail des femmes au Canada en mettant L'accent sur les effets du statut familial et de la structure du ménage pour déterminer si ces facteurs ont des réponses élastiques similaires chez les femmes autochtones et non autochtones. Nous avons trouvé que cette activité varie largement en fonction du statut d'autochtone. En général, les Indiens de plein droit avaient moms de chances de trouver un emploi que les autres autochtones ou les non‐autochtones. Alors que le niveau d'instruction, la présence d'enfants mineurs et la monoparentalité semblaient associés à une probabilité plus basse d'emploi, des différences significatives en fonction du statut d'autochtone ont été décelées. Les répercussions sur Pemploi du niveau d'instruction se sont révélées plus fortes chez les Indiens de plein droit. Using data from the 1996 Public Use Microdata File (PUMF) on individuals, this paper examines labour force activity of women in Canada, focussing on the effects of familial status and household structure to determine whether these factors have similar elasticities among Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal women. We found that labour force activity varied greatly by Aboriginal Status. In general, Registered Indians were less likely to be employed but more likely to be unemployed than Other Aboriginals and non‐Aboriginals. While lower educational attainment, presence of minor children and lone parenthood were found to be associated with a lower likelihood of being employed, significant differences by Aboriginal Status were found. The effect of educational attainment on employment was found to be higher among Registered Indians.

International Handbook of Rural Demography

“…Therefore, this analysis will concentrate on the Aboriginal people who are 18 years of age and older. It was noted earlier that the returns to postsecondary education are strong for the Aboriginal people (White et al, 2003). Educational achievement in Figs.…”

“…It has been shown in prior research on education for Aboriginal people that their returns to postsecondary education are equal to, or superior to, the other members of the population (White, Maxim, & Gymah, 2003). Furthermore, education is often cited as an important contributor to social and economic change for a society (Côté & Allahar, 2007;Ghosh & Ray, 1991).…”

The Economic Impact of the Great Recession on Aboriginal People Living off Reserve in Canada

“…Aboriginals have among the highest instance of lone parenthood in Canada (e.g. Mendelson, 2004), however, the availability of familial and community supports may mitigate the effect of lone parenthood on labour market activity (White et al, 2003).…”

“…George and Kuhn, 1994;Ciceri and Scott, 2006;Pendakur and Pendakur, 2011;White et al, 2003). Closely related to human capital is social capital.…”

“…Benjamin et al, 2002). Accounts of labour force participation and employment can be grouped into two main categories: those that emphasize individual attributes and those that focus on the structural features of a society in which an individual lives (White et al, 2003). On the demand side, the potential role of discrimination on the basis of race/ethnicity, as well as the distribution of Aboriginal workers across industries and occupations, may contribute to understanding some of the differential impacts of the Great Recession between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians.…”