Pan-northern study to examine gender gap in jobs and school

The Nunavut Literacy Council has launched a pan-northern research project to find out why Inuit women outnumber men in government jobs and in post-secondary school enrolment.

The three-year project also aims to discover what can be done to encourage more men to take part in formal education and in the workforce.

At the Nunavut government, Inuit women outnumber men almost three to one, and officials can't explain why.

"The work that we advertise is open to all men or women,” said Joe Kunuk, deputy minister of human resources. “We don't particularly advertise to one or the other."

It's the same story at Nunavut Arctic College, where senior academic officer Linda Pemik said they’ve been following the trend for the last 10 years.

“It’s something that's been of concern to the college because there's always a significantly larger number of women than men enrolling in our programs."

Cayla Chenier of the Nunavut Literacy Council said the council is well-positioned to do this research. They have a strong network of bilingual staff, experienced in research, who are ready to find answers.

"We hope to give men a voice through this research project, to better understand what success looks like to them," Chenier said. "And what well being looks like to them, so that we are in a position to better support their aspirations.

"Ultimately we hope our research contributes to men having opportunities to succeed on whatever path they choose," she said.

The Northern Men's Research Project will also involve literacy groups in Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Labrador. Interviewing will soon be underway, and the results should be out in about two years.