Canada's Best Employers for Women: A Guide for Job Hunters, Employees and Employers

Genevieve Cherwinski is a co-operative education and family studies
teacher in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

With 64 percent of women with children under the age of 16 working
outside the home, while also doing most of the domestic work as well as
providing elder care, satisfactory working conditions become
increasingly important. They need a workplace that is sympathetic to
their family responsibilities by providing flexibility, dependent care,
opportunities for advancement and career development, and a positive
work environment. This book purports to guide them in the right
direction.

Part 1 presents an overview of the process involved in selecting
employers. Part 2 describes the best employers in technology, education,
energy, government, manufacturing, media, retail, and transportation, as
well as in financial, health, professional, and hospitality services.
Part 3 highlights the top 10 employers for women in Canada. Parts 4 and
5 advise employers and employees on how their work situation can be
changed to meet their respective needs. The appendix provides valuable
regional information on the kinds of alternative working arrangements
that are available, as well as federal and provincial laws related to
maternity leave and child care.

Throughout, the guide adequately refutes the myths and perceived
problems experienced by women in the workplace. It also offers some
practical advice on the importance of planning, being assertive, and
finding mentors.

However, like many guides of this nature it has a distinct regional
bias; for example, of the 48 employers it ranks, half have head offices
in Ontario. Furthermore, eight of the ten top employers are located only
in Toronto. The book’s value is also diminished by the fact that it
does not give much new information, since six of the top ten employers
are associated with traditional female ghettos, namely banking and
health care, which meet women’s needs often at the expense of wages
and benefits. As a consequence, a guide that is meaningful to all
Canadian women seeking employment has yet to be written.