The Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) is a national not-for-profit that works to advance the substantive equality of women, girls, trans, and non-binary people in Canada through litigation, law reform, and public legal education.
We are funding an environmental scan to identify the legal and policy barriers that limit the economic security and prosperity of women, non-binary, and trans people in the care economy. We will consider applications from individuals as well as applications from collaborations of two or three researchers.
This application can be completed in English or in French.
Proposals are due by 11:59 pm ET on November 17, 2024. Further information follows.
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Overview
| Number of awards | 1 |
| Value | $25,000* |
| Duration | November 2024 to September 2025 |
| Application deadline | November 17, 2024 (11:59pm ET) |
| Results announced | By November 27, 2024 |
*Note: The contract value listed here is compensation for the researcher/researchers’ labour – LEAF has an additional budget for honoraria and translation. If two or three people who are collaborating are awarded the contract, this value will be split between the researchers.
Context
The care economy consists of those aspects of the care sector that have historically been considered “women’s work” (though people of all genders now work in these positions). It comprises health care (including elder care, care for disabled people, home care, and long-term care), childcare, and cleaning services. It encompasses work that is both paid and unpaid.
Care work is significantly undervalued in Canada. In the paid care economy, women are disproportionately represented in “5 C” occupations: caring, clerical, catering, cashiering, and cleaning. Women who are racialized, migrants, and/or undocumented occupy the caring jobs, such as cleaning and disinfecting, that are the lowest paid and the most precarious.
Unpaid care work in Canada is also primarily performed by women. Caregiving responsibilities are not distributed equally across women. For example, accessing high-quality childcare is more difficult for Indigenous communities, people with disabilities, racialized groups, rural communities, women and their families reliant on precarious employment, newcomer women, poor women, and single mothers.
To address the undervaluation of care work, significant reforms to our social protection systems are required.
LEAF’s Valuing the Care Economy Project will identify legal, regulatory, and policy barriers to women and gender-diverse people’s economic security in the care economy and will work towards dismantling those barriers through law reform advocacy and public legal education. We are funding an environmental scan that will identify discriminatory elements that exist in the care sector. As described below, this will involve both stakeholder engagement and a literature review.
Description
The environmental scan can be broken down into three main components: (1) stakeholder engagement, (2) literature review, and (3) final report.
- The successful applicant(s) will interview stakeholders across the country, including caregiver rights organizations, unions, academics, advocates, and parent/caregiver advocacy groups. Interviewees will be invited to share what their members need to increase their economic security and prosperity.
- The successful applicant(s) will also conduct a literature review to identify legal, regulatory, and policy barriers to economic security and prosperity in the care economy. The applicant(s) will review case law, legislation, academic literature, and grey literature.
- The findings from the first two components will inform the contents of a final report, which we anticipate will:
- Summarize and analyze key findings from the stakeholder engagement and literature review;
- Provide a preliminary analysis of what legal or policy reforms could enhance the economic security and prosperity of women, trans, and non-binary people in the care economy.
The written portions of the environmental scan can be completed in English or in French. The stakeholder engagement component will primarily take place in English.
The successful candidate(s) will be supported by the Valuing the Care Economy Project Director.
Value and Duration
The successful applicant(s) will be awarded $25,000, inclusive of HST, to complete their research and write their report. LEAF has an additional budget for honoraria and translation costs.
The successful applicant(s) will be expected to adhere to an agreed upon schedule of deliverables, including:
- submitting a detailed research and engagement plan by December 13, 2024;
- completing stakeholder interviews by March 14, 2025;
- submitting a draft of the report by June 16, 2025; and
- submitting a final report by August 15, 2025.
By applying for this funding opportunity, the successful applicant(s) consent(s) to LEAF publicly sharing the resulting research products.
Application Process
Applicants must submit the following as a single PDF attachment:
- A 1-2 page letter of intent summarizing the applicant’s relevant expertise/experience in relation to the research topic;
- Applicant’s CV;
- A brief writing sample (5-10 pages).
Applications will be accepted by email only. In the subject line of your email application, reference “Call for Proposals – Valuing the Care Economy”. Applications are to be submitted to Cee Strauss (they/them) at [email protected], and must be submitted by 11:59 pm ET on November 17, 2024.
The successful applicant(s) will be notified by November 27, 2024. Only the successful applicant(s) will be contacted.
LEAF welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities for all available opportunities. Where possible, accommodations will be made available upon request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.
LEAF encourages applications from candidates who reflect the diversity of our communities. We strongly encourage applicants who are Black, Indigenous, racialized, newcomers, gender-diverse, and/or part of other equity-deserving groups to apply. If you are comfortable, please indicate in your letter of intent if you identify as a member of an equity-deserving group.
Contact Information
For more information about this funding opportunity, or if you have any accommodation requests related to the application process, please contact Cee Strauss at [email protected].
