ANALYSIS ON WOMEN IN BUSINESS IN CANADA

This research investigated the obstacles confronting women seeking careers in business management and administration in Canada. Specifically, the objective of the investigation was to identify those factors which had led to a limited representation of women in business management and administration in Canada. Two research questions were investigated in this study. These questions were stated as follows:

1. What factors were involved in the development of the limited representation of women in business management and administration in Canada?

2. What is the relative importance of the factors identified as contributing to the limited representation of women in business management and administration in Canada?

Historically, women in the Canadian workplace have occupied subordinate and subservient positions. In the 1990s, many women workers Canada find their roles essentially unchanged from those of the past. The difficulties and inequities faced by women in business management and administration derive from a complex problem. In part, this problem involves longstanding prejudicial attitudes and discrimination. In part, also, the problem is concerned with societal structures which have often made it more difficult for women than for men to adequately prepare themselves for administrative and managerial responsibilities.

Some women also may have differing priorities with respect to work and home than those typic

ome sort of governmentallyfunded day care programs. In the contemporary time period, the federal government does reimburse the provinvial governments to a limited extent for day care services under the provisions of the Canada Assistance Act (Melichercik, 1987, pp. 195223). Strong political pressures exist in Canada in the 1990s to provide universal day care as a public utility at the federal level. The Mulrooney Government, reacting to these pressures, promised during the last general election (1988) to implement a federal day care program. To date, however, this election promise has not been kept. When parents are either unable or unwilling to provide the necessary housekeeping services for children, the potential is high for the development of serious child welfare problems. When relatives are not able to provide assistance, or when the families involved cannot afford to pay for outside help, most provincial governments have developed programs to provide some level of homemaking services (Melichercik, 1987, pp. 195223). Under the Canada Assistance Plan, the federal government will reimburse the provincial governments for homemaking services provided to families unable to pay for the services. In most instances, t