Dear part-time faculty members,<\/p>\n
Please find below, the position paper developed by Dr.Viviane Nameste of the Simone de Beauvoir Institute on the impact of tuition fees on women. The attached in both French\/English, is the PDF. While our governments are dismantling our rights in the field of the arts, environment, labour, health care, pensions, etc. they continue to chip away to dismantle public education as their ultimate objective. The Association can never endorse increases in tuition for any student and will uphold this position to safeguard accessible and public education for all. Tuition increases hurts the most vulnerable, women definitely, and as well, needy international students, graduate students, and those on fixed incomes. Few acknowledge that Concordia students (80% of them) need to work for a living just to survive.<\/p>\n
Support your students, they are young people and the future leaders
\nyou teach.<\/p>\n
Maria E. Peluso,
\nPresident, CUPFA<\/p>\n
Statement on Tuition Fees in Qu\u00e9bec and their Impact on Women<\/strong><\/p>\n The Simone de Beauvoir Institute, located at Concordia University in Here, we outline our official stance with respect to the Qu\u00e9bec Neoliberal Social Policies and their Impact on Women<\/strong><\/p>\n The idea that tuition fees need to be raised so that universities have Access to Postsecondary Education for Women and their Children<\/strong><\/p>\n For decades now, feminists have argued that women earn less than men If we consider the case of single mothers (who still constitute the Long-Term Consequences of Increased Tuition Fees for Women<\/strong><\/p>\n Some proponents of raising tuition fees contend that, since individuals who have a university education will earn more throughout their lifetimes, they should assume a part of the financial cost. Such proponents use an economic rhetoric, stating that students now need to \u201cinvest\u201d in their future. But again, this argument falls short when we consider that even with a postsecondary diploma, men and women do not earn the same income. On average, a woman with such a diploma will earn $863 268 less than a man with the same diploma over the course of her lifetime.4 Suppose that two students \u2013 one a man, one a woman \u2013 each finish a BA with a debt of $25 000. Each and every month, the woman has to spend more of her income to pay back her debt. Asking individuals to \u201cinvest\u201d in their future asks women to pay more, proportionally speaking, than men The Qu\u00e9bec government is asking women to \u201cinvest\u201d in their sustained inequality for decades to come. We reject this kind of neoliberal logic, and advocate a system in which access to Qu\u00e9bec postsecondary education is equal for men and women \u2013 now and in the future.<\/p>\n Pedagogical Implications of Raising Tuition Fees: Faculty Perspectives<\/strong><\/p>\n Objections to raising tuition fees generally focus on the position of Members of the Institute understand that diversity is central to the We Have the Financial Resources to Make Equitable Access a Priority Bonuses given to managers of soci\u00e9t\u00e9s d\u2019\u00e9tat in 2010 totalled $105 000 000. Imposing licensing fees on mining and industrial manufacturing companies\u2019 use of water in Qu\u00e9bec could yield 775 million dollars annually (0,01$\/litre of water used).8<\/p>\n Summary and Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n On the question of raising tuition fees for postsecondary education, Given that women still do not earn the same salaries as men, raising Qu\u00e9bec has the financial resources required to properly fund Signed Notes<\/p>\n 1 \u00a0Pat Armstrong and Hugh Armstrong, Wasting Away: The Undermining of Canadian Health Care, Toronto, Oxford University Press (Wynford Project Edition), 2010.<\/p>\n 2 \u00a0Gouvernement du Canada, L\u2019\u00e9cart salarial entre les femmes et les 3 \u00a0Eric Martin et Maxime Ouellet, Universit\u00e9 Inc. Des mythes sur la 4 \u00a0F\u00e9d\u00e9ration \u00e9tudiante universitaire du Qu\u00e9bec, L\u2019\u00e9ducation 5 \u00a0Chui, T. and Maheux, H. (2011). Visible Minority Women. In Ferro, 6 \u00a0O\u2019Donnell, V. and Wallace, A. (2011). First Nations, M\u00e9tis and 7 \u00a0Omar Aktouf, \u201cLa marchandisation de l\u2019\u00e9ducation et le faux alibi de la pauvret\u00e9 de l\u2019\u00e9tat au Qu\u00e9bec,\u201d dans Eric Martin et Maxime Ouellet, Universit\u00e9 Inc. Des mythes sur la hausse des frais de scolarit\u00e9 et l\u2019\u00e9conomie du savoir, Montr\u00e9al, Lux, 2011, p 143.<\/p>\n 8 \u00a0Solidarit\u00e9s. \u00c9dition sp\u00e9ciale. \u00c9ducation publique et gratuite: Un choix de soci\u00e9t\u00e9 cher \u00e0 Qu\u00e9bec Solidaire, novembre 2011, p. A3. www.pressegauche.org\/IMG\/pdf\/journal_QS.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n Lectures additionnelles \/ Further Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n Eric Martin et Maxime Ouellet, Universit\u00e9 inc. Des mythes sur la hausse des frais de scolarit\u00e9 et l\u2019\u00e9conomie du savoir, Montr\u00e9al, Lux, 2011.<\/p>\n F\u00e9d\u00e9ration \u00e9tudiante universitaire du Qu\u00e9bec, L\u2019\u00e9ducation universitaire : un outil pour passer de l\u2019\u00e9galit\u00e9 de droit \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9galit\u00e9 de fait. M\u00e9moire de la FEUQ sur le renouvellement du plan d\u2019action gouvernemental sur l\u2019\u00e9galit\u00e9 entre les femmes et les hommes, Montr\u00e9al, 2011.<\/p>\n Normand Baillergeon, Je ne suis pas une PME. Plaidoyer pour une universit\u00e9 publique, Montr\u00e9al, \u00c9ditions les po\u00e8tes de brousse, 2011.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dear part-time faculty members, Please find below, the position paper developed by Dr.Viviane Nameste of the Simone de Beauvoir Institute on the impact of tuition fees on women. The attached in both French\/English, is the PDF. While our governments are … <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,1,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fees","category-news","category-student-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cupfa.org\/fr_CA\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cupfa.org\/fr_CA\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cupfa.org\/fr_CA\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cupfa.org\/fr_CA\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cupfa.org\/fr_CA\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cupfa.org\/fr_CA\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cupfa.org\/fr_CA\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cupfa.org\/fr_CA\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cupfa.org\/fr_CA\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nMontr\u00e9al, was established in 1978 as a site for the production of
\ncritical knowledge and action on women\u2019s lives. As part of this
\nmandate, members of the Simone de Beauvoir Institute (students, staff,
\nprofessors, Fellows and Research Associates) take positions on
\ncontemporary social issues, particularly those likely to have an
\nimpact on women. This was the case, for instance, with regard to the
\n2007 Bouchard- Taylor Commission, the 2009 Qu\u00e9bec government Bill 94
\non reasonable accommodations, and the 2010 Bedford decision on the
\ndangers of Canada\u2019s prostitution laws for women. Our official
\nstatements on these issues can be located at:
\nhttp:\/\/wsdb.concordia.ca\/about-us\/official-position-on-issues\/<\/a><\/p>\n
\ngovernment\u2019s decision to authorize the increase of undergraduate
\ntuition fees in the amount of $1625 over the next five years.<\/p>\n
\nthe appropriate revenues to function is one typical of a neoliberal
\nera. Neoliberalism refers to a social system in which the state plays
\na diminished role in ensuring that the basic needs of its citizens are
\nmet. Neoliberalism is characterized by public-private partnerships,
\nthe retreat of the welfare state (social programs such as Employment
\nInsurance), the defunding and deregulation of state institutions, and
\nthe shift of service provision from state institutions to community
\norganizations. Neoliberal social policy gives priority to a logic of
\nthe economy and cost saving. The decision to authorize the increase in
\ntuition fees is, as such, a neoliberal policy in which the state plays
\na diminished role in funding postsecondary education in Qu\u00e9bec.
\nNeoliberal policy has particularly negative consequences on women.
\nWhen, for example, hospitals discharge patients early because of
\nbudgetary constraints, it is primarily women who are impacted, through
\nthe unpaid care giving work they provide in such cases.1 Similarly,
\nsocial policy on raising postsecondary tuition fees in Qu\u00e9bec affects
\nwomen disproportionately.<\/p>\n
\nfor doing the same work. Recent statistics support this claim: the
\nlatest data available from 2008 demonstrate that women still earn 71
\ncents for every dollar earned by men.2 Asking individuals to
\ncontribute more to their post-secondary education costs, then, affects
\nwomen in particular. Since women still earn less than men overall,
\nraising tuition fees will impact women first. This is an example of
\nsocial policy that perpetuates gender inequality.<\/p>\n
\nmajority of single-parent families), it is clear that tuition
\nincreases will affect not only these women, but their children as
\nwell. Eric Martin and Maxime Ouellet, authors of Universit\u00e9 Inc: Des
\nmythes sur la hausse des frais de scolarit\u00e9 et l\u2019\u00e9conomie du savoir,
\nargue that a two-parent family would need to allocate 10% of its
\nrevenue to fund a BA for one child; in the case of single mothers,
\nhowever, a woman would need to allocate 18% of her income to ensure
\nher child obtains a BA.3 Educational funding policy which requires the
\ncontribution of individual consumers quietly bypasses the reality that
\nsuch policy demands more from single mothers. Raising tuitions fees in
\nQu\u00e9bec entrenches inequality for single mothers and their children,
\nsince they need to allocate more of their income to obtain the same
\naccess to state-funded institutions.<\/p>\n
\nover their lifetimes.<\/p>\n
\nstudents, and with good reason, since they are the ones most impacted.
\nNevertheless, members of the teaching faculty at the Simone de
\nBeauvoir Institute maintain that raising tuition fees will have
\nnegative consequences for teaching and learning more broadly. The more
\nexpensive tuition is, the less diversity there will be in the
\nclassroom, since access is dependent on financial resources.
\nStatistics Canada reports that \u201cvisible minority\u201d women were more
\nlikely to be in a low income situation than non-visible minority
\nwomen.5 Similarly, compared to their non-Aboriginal counterparts,
\nAboriginal women are less likely to have a university degree. In 2006,
\n9% of Aboriginal women aged 25 and over had a university degree,
\ncompared with 20% of non- Aboriginal women.<\/p>\n
\nteaching work they do. They see the work of postsecondary teaching as
\none of preparing students to engage in critical inquiry and dialogue
\nwith others, offering them skills and analysis to guide them
\nthroughout their lives. The work of critical pedagogy is facilitated
\nthrough a diverse classroom. When social policy results in the
\nexclusion of women and people from diverse backgrounds from
\npostsecondary education, the work of teaching is compromised.
\nEnsuring equitable access to state-funded education not only supports
\nstudents; it is one concrete way to support the work of postsecondary
\nteachers, as well.<\/p>\n
\nPublic debate on raising postsecondary tuition fees in Qu\u00e9bec often
\nassumes that the financial resources do not exist to make universal,
\nequitable access to education a political priority. We contend that,
\ncollectively, Qu\u00e9bec does have the resources required to ensure that
\nall men and women have equitable access to postsecondary education. A
\nredistribution of resources could make equal access to education
\npossible, as suggested in the following examples:<\/p>\n
\nmembers of the Simone de Beauvoir Institute underline:
\nThinking about women and social policy means thinking beyond so-called
\n\u201cwomen\u2019s issues\u201d such as sexual harassment or daycare. While these
\nissues are important, we also need to understand the way social
\npolicies impact women in particular.<\/p>\n
\ntuition fees means that women will pay more for their education now
\nand in the decades it takes them to pay back their debt. Raising
\ntuition fees perpetuates gender inequality now and in the future.
\nIncreased tuition fees mean there will be a less diverse classroom,
\nwhich will in turn impoverish opportunities for learning among
\nstudents and faculty. We advocate social policy which facilitates
\naccess to postsecondary education, in order to ensure our classrooms
\nare truly diverse and a rich site of dialogue and exchange.
\nSocial policy which discourages women\u2019s involvement in postsecondary
\neducation is not good social policy.<\/p>\n
\npostsecondary education and to ensure that women and men can access
\nstate-funded education equally. It is time for a genuine debate about
\nhow the Qu\u00e9bec government should allocate its resources to make
\nequitable access to postsecondary education a political priority.<\/p>\n
\nSimone de Beauvoir Institute Concordia University<\/a>
\nFebruary 2012
\nPlease circulate
\nMedia Contact: Viviane Namaste, Ph.D.
\nProfessor, Simone de Beauvoir Institute
\n514-848-2424 x 2371 or viviane@alcor.concordia.ca<\/a><\/p>\n
\n
\nhommes, July 29, 2010.
\nhttp:\/\/www.parl.gc.ca\/Content\/LOP\/ResearchPublications\/2010-30-f.htm<\/a><\/p>\n
\nhausse des frais de scolarit\u00e9 et l\u2019\u00e9conomie du savoir, Montr\u00e9al, Lux,
\n2011, p. 16.<\/p>\n
\nuniversitaire : un outil pour passer de l\u2019\u00e9galit\u00e9 de droit \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9galit\u00e9
\nde fait. M\u00e9moire de la FEUQ sur le renouvellement du plan d\u2019action
\ngouvernemental sur l\u2019\u00e9galit\u00e9 entre les femmes et les hommes, Montr\u00e9al,
\n2011, p. p.iii.<\/p>\n
\nV. and Williams, C., Women in Canada: A Gender-based Statistical
\nReport Catalogue no.: 89-503-XIE (sixth edition). Release date:
\nDecember 14, 2011. Statistics Canada. Available from
\nwww.statcan.gc.ca\/pub\/89-503-x\/2010001\/article\/11527-eng.htm<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nInuit Women. In Ferrao, V. and Williams, C. Women in Canada: A
\nGender-based Statistical Report Catalogue no.: 89- 503-XIE (sixth
\nedition). Release date: December 14, 2011. Statistics Canada.
\nAvailable from http:\/\/www.statcan.gc.ca\/pub\/89-503-x\/2010001\/article\/11442-eng.htm<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n