Inclusive Innovation: Employment barriers for equity deserving groups in STEM and Entrepreneurship
Members of equity-deserving groups are underrepresented in information, communication and technology (ICT) jobs and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields of study. However, Diversity Institute research has shown that these gaps are uneven. Indigenous Peoples, women and Black people are all significantly under-represented in ICT and STEM. On the other hand, immigrants and other racialized people tend to have good representation in ICT and STEM, although there are still wage gaps. Furthermore, roughly 50% of STEM-educated immigrants work in non-STEM occupations.
The intersection of different identities in one person creates additional difficulties; for example, racialized women have even worse representation in ICT and STEM than do white women. Identifying and analyzing the barriers to equity-deserving groups in ICT and STEM has been an essential task of the researchers. The results have revealed that these barriers are complex and operate at the societal, organizational and individual levels.
Gaps in the representation of equity-deserving groups in ICT and STEM have important knock-on effects; occupational segregation contributes to wage gaps, underrepresentation in management and lower rates of entrepreneurship. Addressing these gaps in representation will not only advance equity in Canadian society, but it will also contribute to the economy by increasing business revenues and wages. One estimate suggests that unrecognized education and skills cost the Canadian economy between $13.4 and $17 billion in lost earnings per year. Furthermore, members of equity-deserving groups contribute to innovation; for example, in the U.S., immigrants have produced 53% of patents.
The articles, multimedia, reports and publications below delve into solutions and promising practices to address barriers for equity deserving groups in ICT and STEM.
Cukier, W., Saunders, V., Stewart, S., & Wright, E. (2022). Social entrepreneurship and addressing SDGs through women’s empowerment: A case study of She-EO. (external link) In A. Ward (Ed.), World Scientific Encyclopedia of Business Sustainability, Ethics and Entrepreneurship (pp. 83-111).
Gupta, A., & Treviranus, J. (2022). Inclusively designed Artificial Intelligence. (external link) In H. Schaffers, M. Vartiainen, & J. Bus (Eds.), Digital Innovation and the Future of Work (pp. 89-110).
Cukier, W., Mo, G. Y., & Francis, J. A. (2022). (excel file) Womens entrepreneurship in the inclusive innovation ecosystem in Canada (external link) . In B. Owalla, T. Vorley, & H. Smith (Eds.), Gender, Diversity and Innovation (pp. 223-238).
Cukier, W., Gagnon, S., Dalziel, M., Grant, K., Laplume, A., Ozkazanc-Pan, B., & Saba, T. (2022). Women entrepreneurship: Towards an inclusive innovation ecosystem. (external link) Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, 34(5), 475-482.
Cukier, W., Mo, G. Y., Karajovic, S., Blanchette, S., Hassannezhad, Z, Elmi, M., & Higazy, A. (2023). Labour market implications for racialized youth. Diversity Institute, Future Skills Centre.
Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub. (2023). The state of women’s entrepreneurship in Canada 2023. (external link) Diversity Institute.
Zou, C., Borova, B., Opasina, O.K., & Parkin, A. (2022). Experiences of discrimination at work. Environics Institute, Diversity Institute, Future Skills Centre.
Cukier, W., Mo, G. Y., Chavoushi, Z. H., Borova, B., & Osten, V. (2022). The state of women’s entrepreneurship in Canada 2022. (external link) Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, Diversity Institute.
Cukier, W., McCallum, K., Egbunonu, P., Bates, K. (2021). The mother of invention: Skills for innovation in the post-pandemic world. Public Policy Forum, Diversity Institute, Future Skills Centre.
Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub and The Prosperity Project. (2022). Propelling women into STEM and skilled and non-traditional professions. (external link)
Hudes, K. (2021). (PDF file) Dimensions of digital inclusion: A review of research and practice, Part 2. (external link) Report for the City of Toronto
Ng, E., Sultana, A., Wilson, K., Blanchette, S., & Wijesingha, R. (2021). Building inclusive workplaces. Public Policy Forum, Diversity Institute, Future Skills Centre.
Cukier, W., Mo, G. Y., Chavoushi, Z. H., Blanchette, S., Noshiravani, R. (2021). The state of women’s entrepreneurship in Canada 2021. (external link) Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, Diversity Institute.
Cukier, W. (2023). What is DEI and why does it matter? (external link) [Webinar]. Ontario Chamber of Commerce.
Diversity Institute. (2023). Mapping out an inclusive path for future entrepreneurs in Ontario.
Wijesingha, R., Itano-Boase, M., Parameswaran, H., Cukier, W., & Stewart, S. (2022). Digital skills training and skills utilization among immigrants in Canada: A gendered divide. The Migration Initiative.
Cukier, W. (2022). An inclusive, net-zero future. Diversity Institute.
Cukier, W. (2022). Expert panel: DEI shaping employers’ innovation, profitability, but more work to be done. (external link) Benefits Canada.
Cukier, W. (2023). How to leverage diversity in procurement (external link) [Webinar video]. Diversity Institute.
Diversity Institute. (2023). Mapping out an inclusive path for future entrepreneurs in Ontario.
Diversity Institute. (2022). How innovation can accelerate inclusion. 2022 Weavesphere Conference.
Cukier, W., Gagnon, S. M., & Tomke, A. (2022). Incubators and accelerators as illusionary leaders for equality in entrepreneurial ecosystems (external link) . Academy of Management 82nd Annual Meeting Proceedings.
Cukier, W. (2021). Panel: Advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion in the innovation ecosystem for Canadian youth during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Canadian Science Policy Centre.
Peinado, I., de Lera, E., Usero, J. M., Clark, C., Treviranus, J., & Vanderheiden, G. (2021). (PDF file) Digital inclusion at the workplace post COVID 19. (external link) In Proceedings of the 13th International Joint Conference on Computational Intelligence, pp. 460-467.
Cukier, W. (2019). Driving systems change. Diversity inclusion now: Creating inclusive workplaces in Canada. Diversity Institute.
Cukier, W., & Elmi. M. (2019). Ensuring equitable access to work-integrated learning in Ontario universities. Canadian Sociological Association.
This project is funded by the Government of Ontario. Opinions, results and conclusions are that of the authors, and no endorsement by Ontario is intended or inferred.
This project is funded by the Government of Ontario. Opinions, results and conclusions are that of the authors, and no endorsement by Ontario is intended or inferred.
