Women in the STEM Sector

Gender-based analysis (hereafter GBA) is defined by Status of Women Canada “a method for examining how an issue is affected by sex, gender, and other intersecting identity factors. It involves examining disaggregated data, as well as social, economic, and cultural conditions and norms.” (GBA: Gender-Based Analysis Plus, SWC 2015). The goal of this project is to conduct a gender-based analysis of the barriers and opportunities faced by women in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math sector (hereafter STEM), notably when it comes to advancement in their careers. GBA uses sex and gender as entry points to examining an issue, while situating these factors across various identities and experiences. In this report, we focus on the STEM sector, a highly educated group of women from diverse backgrounds, in the Montreal area. We examine this group in relationship to the broader community, as well as focusing on differences across this group, namely in terms of experience within the field.

Parallel title: Needs Based Assessment of Women in the STEM Sector : a Gender-Based Analysis of Primary Opportunities and Barriers