Women’s History Month – By the Numbers

Toronto – October 2, 2025 – Held every October, Women’s History Month includes the International Day of the Girl (October 11) and Persons Day (October 18), which aim to raise awareness of the barriers that prevent full equality for women around the world.

Key numbers for Women’s History Month:

• 85%: in 2024, 85.1% of women aged 25 to 54 participated in the labour force, whereas in 1976, the same was true for just over 1 in 2 (52.3%) women
• 70%: women are more likely than men to work part time, and in 2024, they account for 70% of all part-time workers
• 1 in 5: in the first quarter of 2025, women-owned business accounted for almost 1 in 5 (19.5%) private sector business in Canada
• 44%: in 2022, women (44%) were more likely than men (40%) to report that they had provided unpaid care to childrenunder 15 years old or to adults 15 years or older with a long-term condition or disability in the past 12 months.

In 1992, October was proclaimed Women's History Month to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of women throughout Canadian history. The month was chosen to coincide with anniversary of the Persons Case, which on October 18, 1929 – through the courage and determination of the Famous Five, the five Canadian women who launched the case – established once and for all that women were "persons" when the Privy Council overturned a Supreme Court of Canada decision and ruled that women were indeed persons and could become Senators. Though this decision did not include all women, such as Indigenous women and women of colour, it did mark critical progress in the advancement of gender equality in Canada. This day is commemorated on October 18 every year as Persons Day.