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Status of Women Canada

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Women in Canada at a Glance Statistical Highlights

Aboriginal Women: First Nations, Métis and Inuit

  • In 2006, there were 600,695 Aboriginal females in Canada, representing 4% of the total Canadian female population. Among the Aboriginal female population, 60% reported being First Nations, while 33% were Métis and 4% were Inuit.
  • The female Aboriginal population is growing rapidly. From 1996 to 2006, the number of Aboriginal females rose by 45%, whereas the number of non-Aboriginal females rose by 9%.
  • The median age of Aboriginal females was 27.7 years in 2006, compared with 40.5 for non-Aboriginal females, a gap of almost 13 years.
  • While it has narrowed, a gap between the life expectancy of Aboriginal women and non-Aboriginal women remains. In 2001, the estimated life expectancy at birth for Aboriginal females was 76.8 years, about five years less than their non-Aboriginal counterparts.
  • Aboriginal women are more likely to be lone parents than non-Aboriginal women. In 2006, 18% of Aboriginal women aged 15 and over headed families on their own, in comparison to 8% of their non-Aboriginal counterparts.
  • Overcrowding is a serious issue for many Aboriginal females, particularly for Inuit living in the North but also for members of First Nations. In 2006, 31% of Inuit women and girls, 14% of First Nations women and girls and 3% of Métis women and girls lived in crowded dwellings, in comparison to 3% of non-Aboriginal females.
  • According to the 2006 Census, 51.1% of Aboriginal women aged 15 years and over were employed, compared with 57.7% of non-Aboriginal women. Aboriginal women were also less likely than their male counterparts to be employed: 51.1% versus 56.5%, respectively.
  • Generally speaking, the gap between the unemployment rates of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women is smaller among those with higher levels of education. In 2006, for women aged 25 to 54 without a high school diploma, the unemployment rate was 20.5% for Aboriginal women and 9.2% for non-Aboriginal women, a gap of 11.3 percentage points. For those with university degrees, the unemployment rate was 5.8% for Aboriginal women and 4.6% for non-Aboriginal women, a gap of 1.2 percentage points.
  • In 2005, the median income for Aboriginal women was $15,654, about $5,000 less than the $20,640 figure for non-Aboriginal women. Aboriginal women's median income was also about $3,000 less than that of Aboriginal men ($18,714).

For additional information, consult the "First Nations, Métis and Inuit Women" chapter in Women in Canada: A Gender-based Statistical Report, 6th edition, or go to http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-503-x/2010001/article/11442-eng.htm.

Age structure of the female population, by Aboriginal identity, Canada, 2006

Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2006

Text Equivalent of Chart 4

Labour force indicators and median income, population aged 15 years and over, by Aboriginal identity, Canada, 2006
Labour force indicator and median income Total Aboriginal population First Nations Métis Inuit Status Indians Non-Aboriginal population
percentage
Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2006.
Participation rate – Total population 63.0 58.8 70.1 61.3 57.8 66.9
Females 59.1 55.0 66.2 58.9 53.9 61.7
Males 67.3 63.2 74.1 63.9 62.2 72.5
Employment rate – Total population 53.7 48.2 63.1 48.9 46.8 62.7
Females 51.1 46.1 60.0 49.1 44.8 57.7
Males 56.5 50.7 66.3 48.6 49.2 68.0
Unemployment rate –
Total population 		14.8 18.0 10.0 20.3 19.0 6.3
Females 13.5 16.2 9.5 16.7 17.0 6.4
Males 16.1 19.8 10.5 23.8 21.0 6.2
dollars
Median income – Total population 16 752 14 477 20 935 16 969 14 095 25 955
Females 15 654 14 490 17 520 16 599 14 337 20 640
Males 18 714 14 458 26 464 17 425 13 802 32 639

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Date Modified:
2013-01-11