Gender-Based Analysis in Ontario

Transcription

1 Gender-Based Analysis in Ontario Deputy Minister of the Status of Women Maureen Adamson February 28, 2018

2 Presentation Outline Ø What is Gender-Based Analysis (GBA)? Ø Current Status of GBA in Ontario, and Where We Could Be Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø GBA Successes in Ontario Ontario s Commitment to the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Status of Women Forum Unique Provincial Challenges GBA Impacts in Other Jurisdictions Lessons Learned Ontario s Approach: Implementing GBA Through a Design Thinking Approach Developing a GBA Toolkit for the Ontario Public Service Ø Ontario s Work on GBA Moving Forward 2

3 What is Gender-Based Analysis? GBA is an analytical process designed to identify, assess, and mitigate the differential impacts of government policies, programs, services and other initiatives on women versus men (Status of Women Canada). GBA involves considering a series of questions throughout all phases of policy and program development to identify how a proposed initiative may impact persons of different gender identities (e.g., male, female, transgender, intersex). GBA should be considered: o As part of problem identification and analysis; o Throughout policy and program development (including consultations, engagement, research); and o As part of decision-making processes. It is important to consider intersectionality and a variety of characteristics that can impact different gender identities including disability, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, and economic security. 3

4 Gender-Based Analysis: Recent Federal History 1995 Canada adopts Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The federal government subsequently calls for the implementation of gender mainstreaming throughout federal departments and agencies. The tool developed was called gender-based analysis (GBA) Status of Women Canada launched a modernization effort of GBA, into its current iteration, Gender-based Analysis Plus (or GBA+). GBA+ takes into account gender and other identity factors (e.g., ability, age, geography, gender identity, Indigenous, language, sexual orientation). Current In 2017, the federal Budget included Canada's first-ever Gender Statement in a federal budget. In 2018, the Prime Minister announced the creation of the Gender Equality Advisory Council for Canada s G7 Presidency to integrate gender equality and women s empowerment across all themes, activities and initiatives of Canada s G7 Presidency. 4

5 Current Status of GBA in Ontario Fall 2016 Ontario s Premier issued a mandate letter to the Minister Responsible for Women s Issues (now Minister of the Status of Women) to lead the development of GBA to be applied to support and inform the development of policies and programs across government The Ministry of the Status of Women (MSW) was established as a standalone Ministry to reinforce the government s commitment to advancing gender equality across Ontario. Currently MSW plays an important role in applying GBA to many government actions, and in encouraging partner Ministries to consider gender when developing policies and programs. MSW also receives regular feedback and analysis on the gender-impacts of government actions from stakeholder tables. MSW grant recipients are required to include a GBA in funding agreements. It is Ontario s priority to explore innovative ways to embed GBA into the government decision-making process. 5

6 GBA: Where We Could Be In 2017, women accounted for more than half of Ontario s population. Statistics Canada However, women make Less than men with the same socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and work experience. Impacts of Closing Ontario s Gender Wage Gap, Deloitte, Ontario could advance women s equal participation in the labour market in all fields, and add an extra $60 billion to its GDP by 2026, or 7-9% additional GDP growth. The Power of Parity: Advancing Women s Equality in Canada, McKinsey Global Institute, Ontario could close the gender wage gap. This would amount to an additional $18.6 billion in household income annually, which is equivalent to roughly 2.5% of Ontario s GDP. Impacts of Closing Ontario s Gender Wage Gap, Deloitte,

7 GBA Successes in Ontario Ontario has experienced key success in GBA. MSW has worked with partner ministries to apply GBA to several cross-government strategies focused on improving outcomes for women: Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Long-Term Strategy to End Violence Against Indigenous Women Strategy to End Human Trafficking Women s Economic Empowerment Promoting Women in Corporate Leadership Ontario also leads proactive engagement roundtables with external stakeholders, experts and partners, to ensure that government policies and programs are reflective of the realities of women: Ontario s Roundtable on Violence Against Women Provides advice to the government on ongoing and emerging gender-based violence issues. Executive and Provincial Committees to End Violence Against Indigenous Women Helps identify key issues for future policy development specific to the needs of Indigenous women affected by violence across the province. 7

8 Other Ontario Initiatives that Align with GBA The Province is also engaged in other initiatives that align with the GBA work of MSW: Anti-Racism Directorate Inclusive Diversity Office An Anti-Racism Impact Assessment framework to being developed to: Apply an anti-racism perspective to decisionmaking at the early stages to prevent system racism from taking root Help anticipate and remove unconscious bias in policies, programs and decisions The OPS Inclusion and Diversity Blueprint has three priorities: diversifying the talent pool, advancing inclusive leadership, and building capacity to deliver inclusive public services. 8

9 Ontario s Commitment to the Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Status of Women Forum Ontario is actively working with colleagues from across Canada to promote and advance GBA as part of the FPT Status of Women forum. This year, the FPT forum is collaborating on a multi-jurisdictional evaluation of GBA processes. The forum will be exploring developing a framework to evaluate GBA successes across governments and will establish common outcomes and indicators to continue to track progress. This work will be shared at the Annual Meeting of FPT Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women later this year. 9

10 Unique Provincial Challenges GBA is a priority for Ontario, and we have experienced key GBA successes however, some challenges remain. A recent high-level data collection exercise in Ontario revealed that: The majority of ministries in Ontario had not previously undertaken GBA activities Most noted that they did not have the capacity to undertake GBA Almost all stated that they would need tools and resources to undertake GBA 10

11 GBA Impacts in Other Jurisdictions Ontario is learning from best practices of the impacts GBA has had in other jurisdictions: Health Canada: Improving health outcomes for women by conducting drug trials and tests on women Spain: More rural women starting their own businesses Germany: More fathers taking parental leave to spend time with children Sweden: Gender equal snow-ploughing helps more women access daycares 11 DRAFT FOR DISCUSSION

12 Lessons Learned Evidence from other jurisdictions and our high-level baseline surveys indicate that dedicated GBA tools and resources are critical in helping government employees apply GBA. Changing inherent gender biases and stereotypes, as well as institutional and systemic barriers, requires time and the necessary tools, training and resources to eliminate embedded stereotypes. Evidence from other jurisdictions also suggests that conducting GBA should be mandatory during policy and program development, and accountability mechanisms must be in place to support and measure the use of GBA. 12 DRAFT FOR DISCUSSION

13 Implementing GBA through a Design Thinking Approach MSW is currently working with ministry partners to undertake an innovative person-centered approach that educates government staff on what GBA is, and introduces key accountability checkpoints to embed GBA into the policy development process. Desired Outcomes: ü Increased awareness and application of GBA throughout the Ontario Public Service ü GBA embedded in the design, development and approval of policies, programs and budgets ü Government initiatives that are reflective of and responsive to gender diversity ü Government initiatives that are equitable to all Ontarians in the long-term 13

14 Example of Conducting GBA in Policy Development Hypothetical Example: Embarking on a new natural resource plan to increase economic development. Without conducting a GBA: Goal is to increase operation and employment in the region. Stakeholders are consulted on the proposed Plan. Specific gender concerns are not raised. Proceeds with proposal, without actions designed to support women. Concerns may be raised about gender impacts of the Plan, but it may be too late to incorporate significant changes. Outcomes and Objectives By conducting a GBA: Ø GBA training prompts staff to examine employment statistics broken down by gender, which finds most jobs are held by men. Ø Objectives are revised to ensure men and women benefit from the plan. Consultations Ø Meet with additional stakeholders to examine ways to support women. Ø Consultations reveal that an increase in operations, combined with a lack of employment opportunities, can be exploited by traffickers who lure women into sex work. Program Design and Development Ø Building on feedback received during consultations, work to design actions to mitigate risks that may contribute to the trafficking of women. Approvals Ø The Plan includes specific actions to support women to access jobs, collaboration with communities, and safeguards to limit risks of human trafficking. Ø The GBA conducted also highlighted the need to increase fiscal allocations to support women, an item to be reflected in future budgets. 14

15 Developing GBA Digital Toolkit for Ontario s Public Service MSW is exploring options to develop an Ontario-focused, user-centred and innovative GBA toolkit. Raise awareness with all government staff of the impact of government decisions on gender GBA Toolkit Provide staff with concrete skills to apply GBA to policy and program development and implementation Consider all dimensions of diversity, including Indigenous considerations. MSW has been working with ministry partners, as well as FPT partners, to help scope the requirements for toolkit, including research and analysis, consultation with stakeholders and GBA experts, and content and digital development. Timelines for the toolkit have not been finalized. 15

16 Ontario s Work on GBA Moving Forward Ontario will continue to study promising practices to help guide continuing GBA work on: Dedicated GBA units Embedding GBA in government decisionmaking process and products Tracking the performance of GBA implementation Ensuring leaders are accountable for GBA implementation Collecting and analyzing genderbased data Unconscious bias training 16