The inclusion of racialized women in the nursing workforce

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PurposeThe study focuses on employment equity among Canadian women with a nursing education, examining differences across racialized groups.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis used data from the 2021 Canadian Census of Population on a large sample of women aged 25–64 years with a nursing education (n = 112,000). The analysis compared women from ten racialized population groups to those from the White population group on attainment of a nursing education, employment in the health sector, and having an occupation that matched their nursing education. These comparisons were made separately for women who were Canadian-born, Canadian-educated immigrants and foreign-educated immigrants and controlled for differences in educational and demographic characteristics.FindingsMost racialized women were under-represented in terms of having a nursing education, which was a barrier to their inclusion in the nursing workforce. Having a Canadian nursing education eliminated most disparities between racialized and White women in terms of employment outcomes. Foreign-educated immigrant women experienced a large penalty in levels of workforce integration, and this penalty was mostly larger for those from racialized population groups than the White population group. Large proportions of foreign-educated immigrant women with a nursing education had non-health occupations or health occupations that underutilized their skills.Originality/valueThis study provides a granular perspective on disparities between racialized and White women in levels of employment and utilization in the nursing workforce. The analyses illustrate the need for disaggregated data to reveal where the disparities lie and the context in which these disparities emerge.