Unit 3
Transforming Women's Work

Canadian women have a long record of fighting to improve their rights and the conditions in which they work and live. Throughout Canada's history, women have challenged and transformed their status in society, demanding their political, social, and economic rights.

This unit examines the strategies women have used to transform their work and the ongoing challenges they face. Strategies for transformation range from joining unions to starting businesses to lobbying for pay and employment equity. While all of these methods share a common goal-improving women's economic status and working conditions-they differ in terms of the mechanisms through which such change can be achieved. Some women have acted individually by creating new work arrangements or becoming self-employed; others have worked collectively (through women's groups or unions) for pay equity or for greater recognition for women's caregiving work. Strategies for transformation also differ in the goals they identify as important or deserving
of attention. For some strategies, the goal is to ensure equal opportunities for women (compared to men) in terms of access to jobs, training, promotions, and earnings. Other strategies strive for broader changes in women's paid and unpaid work and a reassessment of its value and contribution to Canadian society.

While this unit cannot address all of the work-related issues facing women, it does examine a number of issues that have been, and continue to be, important for working women: sexual harassment, globalization, unionization, pay and employment equity, self-employment, and work-family policies.

Learning Objectives

When you have completed Unit 3, you should be able to

1. identify and discuss ongoing challenges that women face in their paid and unpaid work.
2. outline and evaluate the strategies women use to improve their working lives.