Black women in Canadian universities face systemic racism and discrimination

The challenges pertaining to the underrepresentation of women in academia is well documented in the literature. Though the majority of post-secondary students are women (56.4% in universities, 55.8% in colleges), women only make up 44% of the teaching staff in Canadian universities. According to Statistics Canada, women occupied 43.3% of full-time academic positions in 2024, and the gap is even wider for racialized women. 

The term “racialized” denotes how differences and their essentialization are socially constructed and underscores that race is not objective or biological, but an idea constructed to represent, categorize, and exclude the “Other.” The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) found that Black university professors made up 2% of total faculty and faced the highest rates of unemployment (10.7%) of all groups in 2016. 

Historical segregation of Black students in schools and their exclusion from university has resulted in an underrepresentation of this demographic in postsecondary institutions, and especially in universities. According to a 2023 survey from Statistics Canada, of the 70,035 postsecondary professors identifying as a visible minority, only 6,455 are Black. This troubling finding is echoed in a report published the same year by SSHRC’s Advisory Committee to Address Anti-Black Racism in Research and Research Training. The report underscores that, despite a recent EDI action plan from federal funding agencies, there are no specific measures to account for the intersection between ethnicity and culture, which is key to understanding anti-Black racism. 

These dynamics lead to differential treatment between faculty members more broadly while also serving to marginalize Black female professors. This demographic faces major barriers in hiring, retention, and promotion. According to Canadian geographer and writer Audrey Kobayashi, women of colour are glaringly invisible in Canadian universities (French only).  

These disparities are reflected in salary. According to CAUT, a racialized woman makes an average of 68 cents on every dollar earned by a member of the dominant group, and 45% of racialized women work full-time in universities year-round. 

In an April 2024 report by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Science and Research, Marcie Penner noted that “the gender pay gap for racialized women faculty in Canada was double that for non-racialized women.” 

The underrepresentation of Black women research chairholders across Canada illustrates how Black women are rendered invisible by systemic racism. Out of 2,006 chairholders, 259 are racialized women and only 32 are Black women. As far as promotion is concerned, a University of Manitoba report revealed that men are promoted to full professor an average of 18 months faster than women. Similarly, Dina Al-khooly cited a study that found that “racialized faculty had 54% lower odds of being tenured and 50% lower odds of being promoted to associate professor than non-racialized faculty.”  

This non-exhaustive data paints a telling portrait that calls for further reflection on exclusion-related issues. Research on the topic has provided answers, but Black women professors are still struggling to carve out a space in some universities. 

Various affirmative action initiatives and other key measures considering EDI criteria have been implemented over the last decades; however, it seems clear that equity processes that seek to intersect gender relations with skin colour have their limitations. The Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM) is one institution raising awareness and researching concrete, just, and sustainable solutions to the problem. 

UQAM’s 2020-24 EDI action plan (French only) sheds light on the systemic barriers Black female professors face, including in hiring, retention, and promotion. This demographic has to contend with implicit bias, sometimes-racist work environments, and discriminatory practices throughout their careers. They are paradoxically both hyper-visible and invisible, and struggle to advocate for themselves amid discouraging and sexist rhetoric. A structural transformation is necessary to create an equitable and inclusive environment free of racism where every woman can thrive.