EQUITY AT U OF T
EQUITY
is an overarching concept that includes
EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITIES,
EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK and
EQUAL RIGHTS.
Equity issues must be regarded as systemic problems and we believe that each of us in some way or another participate in systemic discrimination. The
appropriate way to deal with this, we believe, is affirmative action. Affirmative action consists in identifying the areas of unequal treatment, making
choices about priorities and strategies to eliminate the identified discrimination. Finally, affirmative action also monitors the changes and evaluates the political choices that have
been made.
Although we recognize that some steps have been taken over the past two decades at U of T, we are concerned that none of the different aspects of equity are fully achieved at the University
of Toronto.
SOME EXAMPLES OF DISTURBING DATA
STUDENT POPULATION. The U of T's student body does not represent the diversity that is so prominent on the streets of Toronto. For example, the Canadian Black community
is almost not represented at U of T. For what regards international students, there is very little representation of developing countries. Disturbing as well is the fact that the Ontario
government has excluded international students from the OHIP insurance program and that university administrators have doubled their tuition.
STUDENT FUNDING. In the year 1998-99, 55% of the male graduate students received awards in excess of $ 13'000, while only 48.5% of the female graduate students did
so (1). One explanation for this is that male students choose better funded fields. Another way to look at those facts is to say that the mission of the university is to "universally"
promote the different fields it offers and, in consequence, to fund students equally. With this perspective, the differences in funding are to be interpreted as gender biases.
1. Fig. 2A and 2B of the Report of the Task Force on Graduate Student Financial Support, May 2000.
STATISTICS EQUITY AT THE FACULTY LEVEL
Note: EAS = External Availability Statistics.
EAS are calculated by the Federal government and represent the availability of a certain minority group on the job market on which the organization draws. The EAS shown in the table
below were calculated specifically for university professors.
| |
UofT 95/96 |
UofT 98/99 |
UofT 99/00 |
EAS 98-00 |
other stats |
| Aboriginal persons |
0.4% |
0.5% |
0.6% |
0.5% |
in Canada: 2.7% |
| Disabled persons |
4.1% |
3.1% |
2.8% |
3.7% |
EAS Ontario: 6.8% |
| Visible minorities |
11% |
10.2% |
10.6% |
12% |
in GTA: 46% |
| Women |
25.6% |
28.3% |
29.5% |
34.4% |
UofT instructors: 59% |
|
Numbers are based on self-identification for aboriginal persons, disabled persons and visible minorities.
The GSU
has a position paper on Equity in Faculty Hiring
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