Why are many women still not reaching Canada’s top leadership roles?
Resource Details
Author(s): Stacy Thomas
Date: March 2, 2026
New data from Statistics Canada for the first quarter of 2026 points to an uncomfortable truth in Canadian organizations: women are approaching gender parity at every level, all the way up to senior management — but that’s where they bump up against a persistent glass ceiling.
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One of the most powerful forces holding women back is how jobs are designed and evaluated, according to Erin Reid, professor of human resources and management at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business and Canada Research Chair in work, careers and organizations.
“We tend to assume that men are ideal workers and we tend to assume that women are not,” she says. “Many jobs in many organizations, especially white collar, middle-class professional organizations, tend to be designed around the assumption that the ideal worker, the person who will best be able to fulfill the role, will be the person who is the most available and the most committed.
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One of the most powerful forces holding women back is how jobs are designed and evaluated, according to Erin Reid, professor of human resources and management at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business and Canada Research Chair in work, careers and organizations.
“We tend to assume that men are ideal workers and we tend to assume that women are not,” she says. “Many jobs in many organizations, especially white collar, middle-class professional organizations, tend to be designed around the assumption that the ideal worker, the person who will best be able to fulfill the role, will be the person who is the most available and the most committed.