Affirmative action is the federal policy which exists to help people of different color, race, national origin, gender, and religion to access better education, employment, health services, and public contracts. In Canada, and other countries in the world, affirmative action exists to address discrimination and inequality in the areas mentioned above. In Canada, there a number of centers that pushes for the adoption of affirmative action. According to a research conducted on the effect of the action on addressing gender inequality, it has been established that the affirmative action has played a significant role in ending gender inequality in the country. Women and affirmative action tend to be overlooked since the race governs the subjects of affirmative action. The action has also played a significant role in ending racial bias and prejudice. However, studies show that affirmative action for women is the most favorable in Canada than the race based affirmative action. So, I would agree that in Canada, affirmative action has played a significant role in addressing problems of gender inequality. It has some success in improving the ratio of males to females in primary education in the country. However, it has been less effective when it comes to women representation in political and public life. If you attend many primary schools, the number of girls is sometimes higher than that of boys. However, when you rise the education level to universities, you will find more men pursuing technical courses than women. A study done in Canada to establish the effect of affirmative action in gender equity showed that the number of women in an electrical engineering class in a certain university was two. The number of men was fourteen. This suggests that there are still issues to touch on gender inequality in the country.
In terms of women representation is politics, although the number has rise, the number of women in politics is still way lower than that of men. The reason for this is that the measures for improving women representation in politics has not been proportionate with seriousness accorded to the gender inequalities being addressed. However, affirmative action can work effectively and improve women representation in politics only if there is a full commitment to its goals and measures. Women have joined all the careers and professions that were perceived to be for men. In Canada, affirmative action has made women to even hold the highest positions in the supreme courts. Although they are represented in low numbers, we can still applaud the efforts accomplished the affirmative action. In the universities, the number of women professors has rapidly increased. Almost every department in each university in Canada has a professor lady. This is a big step in realizing gender equity in the country. In order to increase the number of women in universities and other learning institutions, it is vital the institutions take affirmative action to attract the most qualified women and minority candidates. They should be encouraged to apply for underutilized positions. The most important factor is ensuring that the institutions seek a diverse pool of applicants. This is achieved by having a consistent and fair hearing process which is followed by hiring the most qualified applicant regardless of their gender and race. However, affirmative action has presented a policy which states that people of the same gender should not hold a certain percentage of seats in a political setting. Nowadays, political appointments have to follow the gender rule. The president has to appoint bearing in mind that there are two genders who should share the appointments. Affirmative action has come out to ensure that gender equity is adopted in every sector of Canada.
Gender discrimination is another area addressed by affirmative action. Women are sometimes discriminated against in workplaces and also abused at home by their husbands. Discrimination against women in workplaces comes in various ways. First, women are looked down upon because of their gender, race, and religion. They may be despised at work and paid little than their male counterparts although they do the same kind of work. Sometimes they are denied promotions while male are promoted. In addition, most women suffer internally because they are sexually harassed and no one comes into their rescue. When they report to the managers, they are ignored and overlooked. All these are some of the challenges women used to face before affirmative action was introduced in Canada. Today, all companies are under the law to ensure that gender equity is practices at the companies. Women are now allowed to hold big posts in companies such as managing directors, chief executive officers, among others. In fact, many companies nowadays would like to associate itself with women because they feel that women can deliver results more than men. In terms of pay, affirmative action in Canada has ensured that women are paid the same as their counterparts, men. Also, the policy has made sure that all women regardless of their race, religions et cetera are treated the same. For example, a white woman should not be employed or considered for a job because of her color but because of her competence. Affirmative action has also ensured that women are not sexually harassed in workplaces. If a person is found culpable, they face the wrath of the law. In general, affirmative action in Canada has played a significant role in ensuring that gender equity is adopted. In the next years, women will have equal opportunities like men in every sector of the economy.
Bibliography
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