Alberta Needs to Improve Gender Diversity Performance if it Wants to Grow Economy

Alberta's economy will never reach its full potential if it continues to lag behind other jurisdictions on gender diversity issues, the president and CEO of a women's advocacy and networking organization said Thursday.

Jennifer Reynolds, who was in Calgary for the launch of a local chapter of Women in Capital Markets, an organization committed to attracting and developing talented female professionals in the financial industry and advancing those women into senior leadership positions, said Alberta's gender pay gap and the lack of female representation on corporate boards are serious economic problems.

"That's why I want to stop the dialogue around 'women's issues.' Let's talk about our economy instead," Reynolds said in an interview. "The truth is, we lag on productivity, we lag on innovation, and I firmly believe it's because we're not using our talent pool."

A study released by the Conference Board of Canada earlier this week said Alberta men earn close to 25 per cent more on average than women, earning the province a "D" ranking for its gender wage gap. In addition, only 11 per cent of directors serving on TSX-listed Alberta-based companies are women, according to a 2016 report by the Alberta Securities Commission and the Haskayne School of Business.tr