Gender Analysis of Retirement Readiness

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Application ID: 000341
This project is archived.
Project Description
Project Title
Gender Analysis of Retirement Readiness
What is the central research question you want answered?
What are the objectives of your project?
What is the state of financial preparedness for retirement of Canadian Women aged 40 +?

Project Type
Computer Related     
Creative     
Formal Research     
 Organizational Development     
Survey     
Other    Secondary Research   
Size of Project (Number of pages, minutes, cm, etc.)
smaller project
Project Description (Use this space to further elaborate on the project)
In June 2006, The University of Waterloo and the Canadian Institute of Actuaries published a short research paper predicting that 2/3s of Canadians over the age of 40 were on a trajectory to be financial ill-prepared to retire at 65. They based these predictions on a model they developed and described quite well. However, they did not try to tease out differences between men and women but were prepared only to speak in terms of 1 or 2 person households at earnings levels that represented the Average Industrial Wage and twice that amount.

Unfortunately, the average woman earns considerably less than the Average Industrial Wage and we would like to have the results of this research using her as a target.

How do you plan to use the results of this project?
In the winter of 2004/05, WE*ACT published a position paper on pension reform:
Pensions in Canada: Policy Reform Because Women Matter. We used this secondary research to push for a national discussion on pension reform to treat women more fairly. Our thesis was that women who live longer, are paid less and perform an unfair burden of unwaged care-giving work will be penalized in old age as long as retirement income is based on lifetime earnings.

In the intervening three years, we have heard from many quarters that because women are in the work force in unprecedented numbers, poverty for senior women is projected to be a thing of the past. This belief is also used to question the continued necessity of public pensions at their current levels and age of reception.

For a number of reasons, we don¡¦t believe that women retiring in the future will necessarily be comfortable in retirement. We would like additional statistical analysis to back us up when we speak publicly to this issue, as we do on a regular basis.

This is important when critiquing public policy because the federal government, too, appears to believe that in the future seniors will be well off. They tend to ignore the policy needs of poor seniors living alone who are mainly women.
What larger goal is served by undertaking this project?
To prevent the diminishment of public pensions in favour of private forms of pensions such as RRSPs and defined contribution occupational pensions.

Organizations Applying:

Women Elders in Action (WE*ACT) representing a provincial network of senior women.

WE*ACT¡¦s mandate is to monitor all levels of government for public policy that threatens their economic security.

The Organization
Organization Name
Women Elders in Action (WE*ACT)
What community do you represent or work with?
WE * ACT's mandate is to monitor all levels of government for public policy that threatens their economic security.
What is your organization/group's goal or mandate?
To prevent the dinishment of public pensions in favor of private forms of pensions such as RRSP's and defined contribution occupational pensions.
Are you a registered not-for-profit?
No
Contact Information
Contact Person
Elsie Dean
  
Position
WE * ACT Coordinator
Mailing Address
411 Dunsmuir Street
Vancouver, BC
V6B 1X4
Telephone
604-294-5834
Fax
 
Email
ewdean@telus.net
  
Alternate Telephone
 
Alternate Fax
 
Alternate Email
 
Project Plan of Action
Duration of Project
Smaller (One semester)
If you know the duration more specifically, please indicate here
The framework for this research already exists so a minimal amount of analysis, accessing of current Statistics Canada information and discussion with original researchers would be required. This would be a one semester project.


What are the specific deliverables that you expect of the student?
„X Reading and absorbing the current research on the topic
„X Discussion with researchers
„X Accessing relevant Statistics Canada data
„X Using the current research model with data specific to Canadian women aged 40+
„X Writing a brief report and possibly making a oral presentation to our Committee in this regard

Estimated time commitment per week
1-2 hours through business week
Liaison
Liaison Name
Elsie Dean
  
Liaison Position
WE*ACT Coordinator
Liason Contact Info (If different from above)
same as above
How much time per week will the
liaison be available to the project?
as needed
How will the liaison provide direction and support to the project?
as needed
Student Researcher
Student area of study/experience
„X Economics

„X Gerontology

„X Women¡¦s Studies
Student skills/attributes
„X Computer savvy

„X Good personal skills for interviewing and telephone work

„X Thorough and detail-oriented
Student related interests
as above

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