Employment Equity Programs and the Job Search Outcomes of Men and Women: Actual and Perceived Effects

We would like to thank Human Resources Development Canada for making the data for this study available. We thank the Canadian International Labour Network (CILN) for financial support. CILN receives major funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and McMaster University. We also thank Mike Abbott for helpful comments. A Gallup poll in December 1993 asked Canadians: " As you may know, women and minority groups are 1 often under-represented at the management level of government and the broader public service. Do you believe governments should actively attempt to hire more women and minority group members for management positions, or should governments take no action whatsoever and hire new employees solely on their qualifications? ". Overall, 74 percent of Canadians chose the latter option (no action whatsoever, use qualifications only) including 69 percent of women. Twenty-one and 25 percent of all Canadians and women respectively supported active measures, with the rest venturing no opinion.