A new study released by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) ranks Barrie as one of the worst cities to be a woman in Canada.
And that's a red flag for Barrie's Mayor Jeff Lehman.
The report, by CCPA Senior Researcher Kate McInturff, gives an annual snapshot of the gaps between men’s and women’s access to economic and personal security, education, health, and positions of leadership in Canada's largest 25 metropolitan areas.
Barrie came in 23rd out of the 25.
"I read this report and it's concerning for sure. Barrie ranks well (5th) on education and on security (9th), but low on economic security, health, and leadership," said Mayor Lehman.
Lehman notes the report says that because employment rates are high in Barrie, that makes the wage gap wider in the city.
Women earn $16,000 less per year than men.
The wage gap has narrowed only slightly over the past five years, from 61 percent of men’s earnings to 63 percent of men’s earnings. Poverty rates in Barrie are below average, with women being only slightly more likely than men to live below the low-income measure, according to the study.
There are also fewer women in management roles in Barrie companies and institutions compared to other cities. Barrie comes in at the bottom of the rankings for promoting women into leadership positions in the study. Women make up only 29 percent of managers in the city. Unlike most cities measured, women actually do better in the political arena in Barrie, making up 30 percent of elected officials in the region, the report stated.
"That's something we can work on as a community, with organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce. Health is the last category, where we got a relatively low score," he said.
"We have higher than average levels of women reporting stress and higher rates of chronic health conditions - that is a problem our public health and Family Health Team are actively tacking and the City is collaborating through initiatives like Healthy Barrie," said Lehman.
"I think there needs to be a focus on other issues though such as daycare costs and support for women in leadership positions. Watch for more on this soon, we've only just seen the report so we need to look at in deeper and consider what we can do."
