When governments cut, women bleed.
In the last recession, in 2008 and 2009, it was men who disproportionately lost their jobs as the private sector downsized.
Manufacturing jobs, particularly in Ontario, disappeared.
Men took the brunt of the hit, a phenomenon dubbed the “he-cession.”
Now, with both the federal and Ontario governments looking to reign in their spending, there’s talk of a looming “she-cession” as services, like education and health care, and administrative support jobs come under fire.
“What happens in every recession is the first wave is a “he-cession.” The first thing that gets hit is the stuff we trade and buy, which are predominantly male jobs,” said ArmineYalnizyan, a senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
“Any prolonged recession hits women, because we reduce discretionary spending on services,” she added. “The third wave is if governments decide on austerity, and public sector cuts, and the public sector is a female dominated sector.”
She’s the author of a study on the gender impact of the 2008 recession.
In the first eight months of the downturn, 370,000 Canadians lost their jobs. Some 71 per cent of them were men, according to her study called “Canada’s He-cession.’”
The proposed public sector cuts could eliminate thousands of jobs, many in female dominated sectors.
At the federal level, Ottawa is looking to chop $8 billion in spending, a target the policy alternatives centre estimates could cost more than 100,000 jobs.
One public sector union, the Canadian Association of Professional Employees, estimates the impact of the federal downsizing on jobs could be even greater, with up to 160,000 jobs disappearing.
The Harper government has yet to specify which programs will take the hit.
But a previous round of cuts, between 2007 and 2010, eliminated many of the staff who answer calls and help taxpayers on social assistance.
In Ontario, the bulk of government spending is on health care and education, both sectors dominated by women, observers note.
The province has yet to decide which of Don Drummond’s cost-cutting measures it will adopt. The former bank economist, now head of the Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services, has recommended sweeping changes, including bigger class sizes, fewer hospitals and more privatized services.
Within the teaching profession alone, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association has estimated the Drummond report could cost 6,000 jobs across the province, in all boards at all levels.
The cuts would come as women play an increasingly important role as wage earners in Canadian households.
Thirty years ago, less than half of adult women who were married or in a common-law relationship worked outside the home. Now, more than three-quarters of them are in the workforce, according to Statistics Canada.
During previous recessions, in the 1980s and 1990s, women’s wages helped families stay afloat when men lost their jobs due to layoffs, the federal agency notes in a report called “Women’s participation and economic downturns.”
However, more working adults are now separated, divorced or living on their own and don’t have that cushion.
The Canadian economy has recreated all of the jobs that were lost in the recession that began in October 2008.
However, household incomes have not fully recovered. Many of the high-paying manufacturing jobs disappeared permanently and were replaced with lower-paying service sector jobs, part-time work or self-employment.
The number of people working part-time, not by choice, rose by 140,000, or 20 per cent, Statistics Canada said.
While it’s still too early to say what impact government austerity measures might have on the Ontario labour force, some critics say the bigger concern is the impact any cuts will have on future economic growth.
“If the feds get tough and Ontario gets tough we’ve got a made-in-Canada recession starting right here in Ontario,” said the alternative policy centre’s Yalnizyan. “We’re looking at a very serious fiscal drag on the economy, never mind a he-cession or she-cession, everyone’s goose will be cooked.”
Original Article
Source: Star
Author: Dana Flavelle
In the last recession, in 2008 and 2009, it was men who disproportionately lost their jobs as the private sector downsized.
Manufacturing jobs, particularly in Ontario, disappeared.
Men took the brunt of the hit, a phenomenon dubbed the “he-cession.”
Now, with both the federal and Ontario governments looking to reign in their spending, there’s talk of a looming “she-cession” as services, like education and health care, and administrative support jobs come under fire.
“What happens in every recession is the first wave is a “he-cession.” The first thing that gets hit is the stuff we trade and buy, which are predominantly male jobs,” said ArmineYalnizyan, a senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
“Any prolonged recession hits women, because we reduce discretionary spending on services,” she added. “The third wave is if governments decide on austerity, and public sector cuts, and the public sector is a female dominated sector.”
She’s the author of a study on the gender impact of the 2008 recession.
In the first eight months of the downturn, 370,000 Canadians lost their jobs. Some 71 per cent of them were men, according to her study called “Canada’s He-cession.’”
The proposed public sector cuts could eliminate thousands of jobs, many in female dominated sectors.
At the federal level, Ottawa is looking to chop $8 billion in spending, a target the policy alternatives centre estimates could cost more than 100,000 jobs.
One public sector union, the Canadian Association of Professional Employees, estimates the impact of the federal downsizing on jobs could be even greater, with up to 160,000 jobs disappearing.
The Harper government has yet to specify which programs will take the hit.
But a previous round of cuts, between 2007 and 2010, eliminated many of the staff who answer calls and help taxpayers on social assistance.
In Ontario, the bulk of government spending is on health care and education, both sectors dominated by women, observers note.
The province has yet to decide which of Don Drummond’s cost-cutting measures it will adopt. The former bank economist, now head of the Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services, has recommended sweeping changes, including bigger class sizes, fewer hospitals and more privatized services.
Within the teaching profession alone, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association has estimated the Drummond report could cost 6,000 jobs across the province, in all boards at all levels.
The cuts would come as women play an increasingly important role as wage earners in Canadian households.
Thirty years ago, less than half of adult women who were married or in a common-law relationship worked outside the home. Now, more than three-quarters of them are in the workforce, according to Statistics Canada.
During previous recessions, in the 1980s and 1990s, women’s wages helped families stay afloat when men lost their jobs due to layoffs, the federal agency notes in a report called “Women’s participation and economic downturns.”
However, more working adults are now separated, divorced or living on their own and don’t have that cushion.
The Canadian economy has recreated all of the jobs that were lost in the recession that began in October 2008.
However, household incomes have not fully recovered. Many of the high-paying manufacturing jobs disappeared permanently and were replaced with lower-paying service sector jobs, part-time work or self-employment.
The number of people working part-time, not by choice, rose by 140,000, or 20 per cent, Statistics Canada said.
While it’s still too early to say what impact government austerity measures might have on the Ontario labour force, some critics say the bigger concern is the impact any cuts will have on future economic growth.
“If the feds get tough and Ontario gets tough we’ve got a made-in-Canada recession starting right here in Ontario,” said the alternative policy centre’s Yalnizyan. “We’re looking at a very serious fiscal drag on the economy, never mind a he-cession or she-cession, everyone’s goose will be cooked.”
Original Article
Source: Star
Author: Dana Flavelle
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