Advancing Equality: Addressing Workplace Harassment through Policy Change in the STEM Sector is an initiative aimed at raising awareness and driving collective action to tackle systemic challenges faced by women in STEM across Ontario. Women in STEM face persistent barriers, including gender bias, discrimination, and sexual harassment, which hinder their success and career progression. This project emphasizes cross-sector collaboration, bringing together industry leaders, survivor advocates, and gender equity experts to conduct research and co-develop impactful, evidence-based solutions. By fostering partnerships across diverse systems, the initiative seeks to create safer, more inclusive workplaces for women.

_{This project has been funded through Women and Gender Equality Canada’s Women’s Program}

Designed to build organizational capacity, this guide draws on principles of anti-racist, anti-oppressive (ARAO), and trauma-informed practice (TIP) to create a supportive organizational framework for those working in the gender-based violence (GBV) sector and related fields.

This guide outlines how a holistic approach can best support the needs of racialized survivors of GBV.

Indigenous, Black and Racialized women face unique, intersecting, and compounding forms of gender and racial discrimination that impact their employment opportunities and experiences in the workplace.

This brief provides an overview of the structural and individual dimensions of gender and racial discrimination and how this intersection impacts the opportunities and experiences of Indigenous, Black, and Racialized women in Canadian workplaces. Additionally, it spotlights the intersection of gender-based violence in the workplace.

While trauma-informed practices have become more widely used across social services, the recognition of intersecting trauma and the integration of anti-racism remains a gap within and across sectors. Trauma from gender-based violence, community violence, and racism are compounded, and discrimination and fear of discrimination can be a barrier to accessing services. 

This project will enhance the capacity of organizations to respond to the needs of racialized women survivors of gender-based violence who are experiencing racism and trauma, by offering culturally safe frontline services. The project will collaborate with stakeholders to incorporate principles of anti-racism and trauma-informed practice, thereby improving service delivery and access for racialized survivors.

Publications

Building Anti-Racist and Trauma-Informed Organizations

Anti-Racist, Anti-Oppressive, and Trauma-Informed Practice: Resource for Service Providers

Backgrounder: Race and Gender in the Workplace

_{This project has been funded by}

Domestic violence can impact employees’ ability to find and maintain work. It can impact employees’ productivity and safety at work. However, there is workplace legislation in place across Canada to support employees’ safety and employment.

This quick guide provides information for employees on their rights in the workplace, who they can speak to if they need help and services and supports in place.

Domestic violence is the fastest growing type of workplace violence in Canada. Domestic violence impacts employees’ ability to maintain employment and be productive at work. Domestic violence also frequently spills over into the workplace, making it unsafe for both the employee at risk and their co-workers. Employers are required to take every reasonable precaution to protect the safety of their employees.

This quick guide for employers provides information on what employers in Ontario are required to do and highlights best practices for preventing and responding to domestic violence in the workplace.

Intimate partner violence is closely connected to women’s economic security, including their income, employment, and housing. Research has shown that intimate partner violence both directly and indirectly impacts survivors’ ability to work and maintain employment. This can be compounded by other factors, including gender, race, and age. Racialized women face systemic barriers to economic equality and are more likely to be in precarious and low-income employment than non-racialized women.

This research report draws on qualitative data gathered through surveys and interviews with racialized survivors. The report explores the experiences of racialized survivors in accessing and maintaining employment. It discusses the impact that trauma from racism and intimate partner violence has on women’s employment and what is needed to better support racialized survivors to access and maintain meaningful employment.

Intimate partner violence is directly connected to women’s economic security, including survivors’ employment and career progression. Studies show that intimate partner violence is associated with job instability and job loss. Furthermore, the barriers to employment for some survivors is compounded by structural discrimination.

This literature review explores existing research on the relationship between employment and intimate partner violence, with a focus on the experience of racialized survivors. It examines the impact of intimate partner violence on employment stability, the barriers faced by survivors in the workplace and the impact of structural racism on racialized survivors’ employment. Lastly, the review looks at promising practices for supporting survivors to access and sustain employment.

The rise of the #MeToo movement has shifted dramatically society’s awareness of gender and sexual harassment, but global rates of gender and sexual harassment remain high. While there are many contributing factors, time and time again male-dominated workplaces are found to have higher rates of workplace gender and sexual harassment than spaces that have greater gender parity. This is particularly important for STEM fields, where women are a low percentage of the workforce.

This literature review explores the knowledge available on the subject of preventing and responding to gender and sexual harassment in the workplace, with a focus on STEM workplaces. It explores strategies for workplace prevention, training and response systems in addition to examples of best practices.

Employment sabotage and disruption can include tactics to prevent a survivor from working as well as making it difficult for a survivor to maintain work. These tactics can be used both outside of the workplace and in the workplace.

This infographic introduces the definition of employment sabotage, examples of employment sabotage and workplace responses.