Women leaving work out West

Women in Eastern Canada are piling into the work force as never before, but in the West they are pulling out.

A new study by Statistics Canada shows that women have been participating in the work force at increasingly higher rates since the Second World War. But traditionally, women in the West have been far more likely to have jobs than women in the East.

Since 1989, however, women in the east have made huge gains, mainly because of higher education levels and more day care, Statscan says. As a result, the dichotomy between Canada's regions has markedly diminished.

”The convergence in trends between Quebec and Alberta is particularly striking,” writes the study's author Francine Roy, a senior economist for Stastcan's Canadian Economic Observer.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060615.wwomen0615/BNStory/Front

An interesting stat. Now I wonder what happens in a downturn?

This may explain part of the Alberta effect. I am only referring to those couples who were dual-earner out of necessity rather than choice. It may also be that day care, babysitting, or other costs of employment become more difficult to pay for during boom periods, due to rising costs.

I don't think the Alberta government is providing much in the way of day care subsidy right now.