ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we focus on two sectors (construction and transportation) that are deemed critical to Canada’s green economy, but in which women are severely underrepresented. We document and evaluate existing government policies and programmes as well as corporate and civil society initiatives from a gender equality perspective. The assessment of gender equality and other forms of diversity in these sectors is complicated by the dearth of gender-disaggregated employment data. Our findings suggest that women are most marginalised in the trades segments of these sectors, in technical positions that require science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) training, and in management, senior leadership, and boards of directors of companies. We found that in Canada most green initiatives in these two sectors have been driven by the private sector, non-governmental organisations, municipalities, and provincial governments. The federal government has not played an active role in framing and implementing effective policies to enable the transition to a green economy. To optimise the efforts of other actors in the green economy, the federal government must play a stronger leadership role in implementing employment equity policies. Additional research aimed at understanding the outcomes, sustainability, and replicability of existing green initiatives is a prerequisite for future legislative changes.
