Last year, Algonquin College announced that it will be implementing a ground-breaking new gender-inclusivity pilot project to increase the number of women in some of its traditionally male-dominated classrooms.
The pilot project, called “We Saved You a Seat,” will reserve 30 per cent of the spots in certain trade programs offered at Algonquin for female applicants who meet “the minimum admission standards” for those programs. The project is set to go into effect beginning in the 2019-2020 academic year.
The project intends to close the gap between the number of men and women who enter male-dominated industries, such as the trades and even science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.
According to a 2011 survey conducted by Statistics Canada, women accounted for 39 per cent of university graduates aged 25 to 34 with a degree in a STEM field, compared to 66 per cent of university graduates with non-STEM degrees. These numbers show that there is a systemic issue behind the lack of gender equality across some academic programs in Canada.
Making room for minority groups doesn’t mean lowering the standards of a program—it means creating the space for those already talented enough to make it, but who face hidden barriers to getting there that other applicants don’t face.
It is important for other post-secondary institutions across Canada—including Carleton—to follow suit and implement similar policies to balance out the gender discrepancy in male-dominated classes.
