Feminist organization

Predominantly female jobs held by healthcare professionals will be evaluated based on the changes since 2015 and compared to equivalent predominantly male jobs in the public and parapublic sectors in Quebec. Salaries can then be adjusted accordingly.

A few events that occurred between 2015 and 2020 that could impact the value of a job:

• The creation of new jobs
• New collective agreements
• Amendments to labour laws
• Changes to the requirements of professional orders
• Changes to training requirements

While violence in the health sector is widely known and documented, it is still largely under reported. Without denying the cumulative impact of other types of violence, in the health sector it stands out because it is predominantly female, which means women are the main targets. Organizational factors can also exacerbate types of violence, which is why it is critical we take action on all fronts:

• Female stereotypes
• Culture of silence
• Deficient organization of work

Implementing a truly non-violent work culture is a priority for the FIQ. Violence in the workplace is a complex matter, in particular since there is still a strong culture of silence around it. We hope to reverse this trend with our policy for fighting against violence.

The Federal Council’s delegation approved a policy for the FIQ that ensures fair representation of women in all places of power. The proposal reflected a need revealed by the Status of Women Sector’s analysis, which show that there was a decrease in involvement among women at several levels of power. At the 1988 convention, women made up 88% of the delegation, however, this percentage dropped to 75% at the 2014 convention, and then to 72% at the 2017 convention. This could lead to the under-representation of women in an organization with a 90% female workforce.

The FIQ will continue to:

• promote women’s rights;
• take a public stand on behalf of those who are more vulnerable and cannot speak up;
• be a leading organization on the status of women in Quebec society and, due to its ties of solidarity, strive to achieve gender equality throughout the world.

We need to ensure that healthcare professionals participate at every level of decision-making power and influence.