**Feature photo is of KD Riar as she accepts the BC Care Award for Long service. Riar is one of the many women who inspired staff at BCCPA this year.**
Today is International Women’s Day. As women across the world take pause to not only celebrate the many achievements made on the road to gender equality but also discuss areas where gains are yet to be made, BC Care Providers Association would like to proudly acknowledge the many contributions of women in seniors’ care.
A few facts:
- According to CIHI, women represented 90.7% of regulated nurses in British Columbia (RNs, NPs, LPNs, RPNs) as of 2017.[1]
- The majority of HCAs in a sample of long-term care homes in Western Canada were women (89.7%).[2]
Family Caregivers:
- Family caregivers are more likely to be women (54%).[3]
- While the median number of hours which family caregivers contribute are similar, the type of care differs, with men being more likely to help with house maintenance and women more likely to help with more regular, activities such as personal care.[4]
Women in seniors’ care are leading the charge for change, they are holding the hands of B.C.’s most vulnerable and they are making sacrifices to care for seniors in their own lives. Whatever their role, BCCPA recognizes the critical part which women play in caring for seniors in BC.
For more information on International Women’s Day, click here.
[1] Canadian Institute of Health Information. Canada’s Health Care Providers: Profiles, 2008 to 2017. Accessed at: https://www.cihi.ca/sites/default/files/document/hcp-2017-data-tables-en-web.xlsx
[2] Chamberlain et al. 2019. Canadian Journal on Aging. Who is Still Looking after Mom and Dad: Accessed at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/canadian-journal-on-aging-la-revue-canadienne-du-vieillissement/article/who-is-still-looking-after-mom-and-dad-few-improvements-in-care-aides-qualityofwork-life/039EE36BC30B408A5E024130205983FF
[3] Statistics Canada, Portrait of caregivers. 2012. Accessed at: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-652-x/89-652-x2013001-eng.htm#a9.
[4] Ibid.