October 7, 2004
Manitoba Observes Women's History Month
Manitoba Observes Women's History Month- - -
Panel Discussion and Scholarship Awards Focus on Opportunities for Women: Allan
To raise public awareness of women's contributions to Canadian society, Nancy Allan, minister responsible for the status of women, will officially launch October as Women's History Month in Manitoba at an event at the Legislative Building this afternoon.
“Women's history month celebrates the contributions of women as a vital part of our Canadian heritage and raises awareness of these frequently unrecognized achievements,” said Allan. “This year, Manitoba focuses on women in science in tribute to our own women pioneers who advanced scientific knowledge and blazed the trails for those to follow.”
The public event marking Women's History Month will feature four local panelists discussing career challenges and opportunities for women in science.
Allan will also announce $50,000 in math, science and technology scholarships for women through the Training for Tomorrow initiative. The program provides fifty scholarships worth $1,000 each to encourage women to pursue high-skills training in math, science and technology fields. Training in these non-traditional fields provides young women with the academic tools to pursue desirable careers in high-demand jobs.
“Women have traditionally been under-represented in most scientific fields, but we are seeing this situation begin to change,” said Allan. “Raising public awareness of the job potential for women in these non-traditional fields and creating supportive initiatives are key components of driving that change.”
Some areas such as agricultural and biological sciences have seen an increase in the number of women. In other fields the numbers remain low including industrial, technical, scientific and mathematical fields of study. A 1999 Statistics Canada report showed that less than one-quarter of engineering students and only 31 per cent of mathematics students were female.
Other current initiatives to encourage women to consider careers in non-traditional fields include the Trade up to Your Future program which offers pre-employment training for women in welding, machining and electronics at Winnipeg Technical College. The province also provides computer literacy training for adult women through the Power Up program.
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