According to Statistics Canada, there were more than 44,000 full-time faculty at Canadian degree-granting institutions in 2009-10.
The increase over the previous year is 5.9 per cent – but only if 1,800-plus faculty members who teach at the six Alberta and British Columbia institutions reporting for the first time are included. Among universities reporting in the previous year, faculty numbers grew by only 1.5 per cent.
Over the course of 20 years, women have comprised a growing proportion of faculty. In 2009-10, they made up 35.6 per cent of all full-time faculty, accounting for 22.8 per cent of full professors, 37.5 per cent of associate professors, and 45.7 per cent of assistant professors.
The overall wage gap between female and male faculty has narrowed over time as well. In 2009-10, the average salaries of female full professors were 95 per cent of their male counterparts. For associate professors, the proportion was 97 per cent, and for assistant professors it was 98 per cent.
Source: Statistics Canada,Salaries and Salary Scales of Full-time Teaching Staff at Canadian Universities, 2009/2010: Final Report, http://www.statcan.gc.ca/bsolc/olc-cel/olc-cel?catno=81-595-M2011096&lang=eng
This article originally appeared in the OCUFA Report. To receive stories like this every week in your inbox, please subscribe.