Impact Assessment

Over the last few years, FemJEPP has worked with women across the province to uncover their experiences in accessing education and training. The Women in Transition Project (1999/2000) revealed many of the problems women face in trying to become economically independent. That project started our focus on women's access to education and training as a pre-requisite to social and economic well-being.

In August 2001, the Nova Scotia Department of Community Services replaced the Family Benefits Act and the Municipal Social Assistance Act with new legislation - the Employment Support and Income Assistance Act (ESIA). The main goal of this new legislation is to "help people reach a level of self-sufficiency".

Because this new policy focuses on employment as a primary goal for the Department, we felt it was important to see if and how this new legislation supported women in getting education and training that would make employment possible.

Why is policy important?

Policies outline government responsibilities and intentions. For example, the ESIA policy states clearly that its intention is to help people "move toward self-sufficiency". The policy should then form the foundation to build services and programs to help women achieve economic independence - and that should include how women are to get the education and training they need to get stable, adequately-paying jobs. The policy should also outline standards for eligibility (who can use services and programs) and standards for services - programs and supports should be effective and provide what is needed.

Background Information: What we know about the impact so far

FemJEPP and its member organizations did some research and focus groups in 2001, to find out about:

  1. What the new ESIA legislation says about education and training:

    We found that the new policy does not specifically mention access to education and training and does not have regulations or policies to ensure that women receiving benefits can access the education and training they need.

  2. Other Government Departments and policies that should be involved in ensuring education and training is accessible and effective:

    We found that policies within Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) and the NS Department of Education should have a direct impact on women's access to education and training, but these policies are not linked to the ESIA. Further, policies and programs offered by these departments are not always accessible by women on social assistance.

    Policies in other Departments, such as Health and Justice and within the Housing Division of Community Services, have an indirect but significant impact on whether women are in a position to access education and training.

  3. Programs, Services and Supports available to ensure accessible education and training:

    We found that aside from the GED, which is available across the province, programs are not uniformly available across the province.

    Eligibility was also a problem, with women in some regions being given access to programs, while in other areas, women in the same situations were denied access.

    We also found that the majority of programs are "re-entry" or "pre-employment" in nature. Some of these programs were "women-centered" and very effective, but these were not available in all regions. Urban areas generally had a wider range of programs and supports available.

Impact of the ESIA Policy on Women

In 2001/02, three FemJEPP members, the Antigonish Women's Resource Centre, Every Woman's Centre in Sydney and the Pictou County Women's Centre in New Glasgow did some research to evaluate the impact of the new ESIA policy on women. In combination with other FemJEPP research, this is a summary of what we know so far.

  1. Human Resources
    • In general, we found that Community Services caseworkers were not always informed about what the policy says, how it should be interpreted, and what services, programs and supports are actually available for women. Many workers did not know about the "New Start Allowance" that can help some women making the transition into the workforce. We also found that caseworkers had too much leeway in which to interpret the policy, and they therefore had too much personal power over women. Some caseworkers were disrespectful, rude and others actually actively discouraged women from seeking education or training. This disrespect was agreed to be worse for African Canadian women.
    • There was a lack of clear information available to women that outlined their rights and entitlements. The Department says that because this information is on their website, that it is accessible. Research showed that the vast majority of women did not have access to the internet, nor could they afford the travel and childcare associated with using a CAP site. They could also not afford to print any information they might be able to access.
    • Women, in general felt frustrated, demoralized, judged and unsupported in their efforts.
  2. Economic Resources
    This section refers to the financial resources women need to support their efforts to obtain education and training, and includes allowances for transportation, childcare, housing, medical needs, training programs, employment supports, incentives and income tax refunds.
    • Transportation and child care allowances are not adequate. Also, when women did access transportation money to help with education or employment, she was denied a travel allowance for medical appointments or getting groceries. Also, women who worked nights had to fill up their car the next day - this made them ineligible for that money. Some women were also forced to have taxi drivers sign vouchers for each trip - this was inconvenient and very demeaning.
    • Employment and education supports focus on the quickest route to employment. Women are being forced into low-paying and unstable jobs because they cannot get the training they need for a more stable job with an adequate salary.
    • In addition, the whole question of eligibility for benefits is crucial for women trying to access college or university, and some trade schools. The ESIA policy says that if women receive any assistance that includes a living allowance, they are not eligible for benefits. This means that women who get student loans, cannot collect income support benefits. The student loan amounts are inadequate to support a woman and her family during the school year, and during the summer, women have no means of support, so "higher education" is not available.
    • The ESIA does not acknowledge that in some regions of the province, there simply are no jobs. In addition, new jobs that have been created lately require highly specific skills, and if women are not supported in obtaining university education, they will be excluded from this job market.

In general, research indicates that there are a number of gaps and inconsistencies in policies that negatively impact on women's social and economic well-being. In addition, women have certainly not been included in the policy process, which has essentially been carried out in a way that violates our principles and values.

Marching together for Social Justice