Beneath the Veneer, Vol. 4: Annotated Bibliography

Lin Good, a consultant, was Associate Librarian at Queen’s University.

The title is apt. As the members of this task force discovered, the
conditions of women in the public service fall far short of the
government’s stated goals.

The task force was appointed by the government and its terms of
reference are given in Vol. 1. However, Pat Carney’s foreword
summarizes them cogently in two questions. Is there a “glass
ceiling” that women can see through but not get through? Or are women
held back because they perceive themselves to be incapable of doing the
top jobs?

The data given are depressingly familiar to anyone acquainted with
statistics about Canada’s work force, in the public or private
sectors. Of course, there are some shining successes, like Sylvia Ostry,
who are always cited by those wishing to demonstrate that progress has
been made. But they are overwhelmingly counterbalanced by the numbers of
women clustered in the lower categories—now increasingly, and not
voluntarily, in part-time positions. Moreover, despite legislation
acknowledging the need for employer recognition of pregnancy leaves,
most women contend that such absences are detrimental to career
advancement.

The methodology used to accumulate and analyze data for this study is
detailed in Vol. 2, clearly enough to be adapted to other groups. Vol. 4
comprises a useful annotated descriptive bibliography of monographs and
journal articles. But Vol. 3, What the People Told Us, provides the most
vivid picture of the current conditions for women in our public service.

Yet, in many ways, any public-service workers fare better than most
others. Their remuneration and benefits are generally good, more as a
result of collective bargaining than of government initiatives. And
however “restricted” finances are said to be, so far their employer
has not gone broke or moved its plant out of Canada.