Unemployment rates, by sex

Women have a lower unemployment rate than men

• Since 1990, the unemployment rate for women has been consistently lower than that of men. On average in 2003, the unemployment rate for women was 7.2%, while the rate for men was 8.0%. In contrast, from the mid 1970s to the late 1980s, the unemployment rate for men was usually below that of women. The only exception to this trend occurred in the early 1980s, as the recession affected men more than women.
• The explanation for the reversal of the unemployment rate gap lies in part in the growth of service industries in Canada. In 2003, 87% of employed women worked in service industries such as health care and social assistance, and retail trade, compared with 64% of employed men. As well, greater proportions of women now have work experience, higher levels of education and better maternity leave benefits than ever before. This has resulted in longer periods of work and an increase in women’s labour force participation rate.
• While participation in the labour market among women has increased over the past three decades, the rate for men has decreased slightly throughout much of the same period. In 2003, the participation rate among women hit an all-time high of 61.6%, a jump of 15.9 percentage points from 1976. In contrast, the participation rate among men in 2003 remained below the peak reached in 1981 (78.4%). However, since hitting a low at 72.1% in 1998, men's labour force participation rate has edged up 1.5 percentage points to 73.6% in 2003.

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