Working Paper on the Implications of Declining Enrolment for Women Teachers in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools in Ontario.

Through the descriptive use of statistical data, this paper explores inequalities between men and women teachers that may be exacerbated by the problem of declining enrollment in Ontario. Defining education in Canada as an internally segregated profession, the authors assess role differentiation between men and women, the situation of women in the Canadian economy, the reduction in professional segregation (resulting in an increase of male teachers), and the implications for women of changes in educational administration, curriculum, and certification. The authors conclude that in adjusting to declining enrollment, the reduction of staff on accepted principles (such as seniority) would considerably diminish women's share of public school teaching because of established inequities that fail to allow women recognition for a career pattern combining marriage, family responsibilities, and professional commitment. In conclusion, the authors recommend that modification of women's secondary status in teaching focus on the profession as a whole rather than on the individual, that school boards revise methods of calculating seniority for job security purposes, and that a career part-time appointment be developed. (Author/WD)