Faculty and staff were surveyed between June 14 and October 31, 2021. Surveys were completed online (Qualtrics) and through mailed paper surveys. We value that many faculty, staff and employees participated in the survey.
Indigenous identity - employees
University of Waterloo (UW) employee survey respondents were asked if they identified as an Indigenous person. Only employees of the UW community who responded to the survey and identified as an Indigenous person (n=55) are included.
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Overall, 1% of respondents identified as Indigenous.
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Distributions were similar among academic support staff and academic employees.
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Of the employees who self-identified as Indigenous, three-quarters (75%) indicated they were from Canada. Staff were more likely to identify as an Indigenous person from Canada (82%) compared with faculty (57%).
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Almost two in 10 (19%) indicated they were an Indigenous person from outside Canada. Faculty were more likely to identify as an Indigenous person from outside Canada (36%) compared with staff (12%).
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Of the employees who self-identified as Indigenous persons from Canada, 58% identify as First Nations, and 28% identify as Métis. There were not enough respondents who identified as Inuit / Inuk to present a percentage (i.e., less than 5).
Reporting on Indigenous Data
We live and work together on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Data collected on Indigenous peoples belong to the peoples of those communities. Equity survey data related to Indigenous peoples falls under the custody of the University and the stewardship of the Office of Indigenous Relations, and is reported in consultation with them. Data is treated according to Indigenous principles, including those described by CARE and the First Nations Principles of OCAP®, and data management and confidentiality practices will align with the principle that identity must be protected both individually and collectively. Indigenous research-related data will be handled in accordance with Tri-Agency policy on Indigenous research and data management, that focuses on Indigenous people's engagement on any and all research involving Indigenous participants.
We acknowledge that any reports we prepare are affected by the influence of the colonial systems in which we are enmeshed. Efforts to mitigate this impact include ongoing training in Indigenous data management, facilitated by the University of Winnipeg and Kishaadigeh: The Manitoba Network Environments for Indigenous Health Research, as well as consultations about reports including Indigenous data with Indigenous Initiatives.
Respondents were asked to select the racial identity with which they primarily identified. Respondents were able to select more than one option, and specify another racial identity not listed. The categories “mixed” and “biracial” were added to the results because they were frequently listed by respondents in the “another race category” option.
The racial identity categories in the survey are as follows:
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Racial category |
Examples |
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Black |
African, Afro-Caribbean, Black-Canadian, Afro-Latine, African-American, or other African descent |
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East Asian |
Chinese, Korean, Japanese, or other East Asian descent |
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Latine |
Latin American, Hispanic descent |
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Middle Eastern |
Afghan, Egyptian, Iranian, Lebanese, Turkish, Kurdish, or other Arab or Persian descent |
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South Asian |
East Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Indo-Caribbean, or other South Asian descent |
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Southeast Asian |
Filipino, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian, or other Southeast Asian descent |
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White |
British, German, Ukrainian, or other European descent |
- Academic support staff: White (78%), East Asian (6%), and South Asian (5%)
- Academic employees: White (64%), East Asian (11%), Middle Eastern (9%)
Disability - employees
In the Equity survey, disability was defined as: physical, mental, intellectual, emotional, developmental, cognitive, learning, communication, or sensory impairment – or a functional limitation or difference that could be permanent, temporary, or episodic in nature. It could be readily evident or invisible.
When a respondent identified that they experienced a disability, they were also asked to identify the form of those disabilities. Options provided were not meant to be comprehensive as disability experience is very diverse and always changing. Respondents were able to select all forms of disabilities that applied and were offered an opportunity to add any additional disabilities not included in the list provided.
Among the employee respondents who reported that they had a disability:
- More than one in 10 (12%) reported they had a disability; this was higher for academic support staff (14%) than for academic employees (10%).
- Mental health (54%) and neurodivergence (20%) were selected most frequently among all employees, followed by an ongoing medical condition (16%), nervous system condition (14%), and autoimmune disorder (13%).
- Most frequently reported disabilities among academic support staff: mental health (59%), neurodivergent (22%), ongoing medical condition (18%), and autoimmune disorder and nervous system condition (14%).
- Most frequently reported disabilities among academic employees: mental health (37%), neurodivergent (16%), deaf or hard of hearing (15%), and ongoing medical condition (13%).
- 43% of respondents selected more than one response option, indicating more than one disability.
Gender identity - employees
Respondents were asked to select the gender that they identify with and could specify another gender identity not captured in the list provided. Respondents could select all that apply. The survey specified:
- “woman” includes cis women, trans women, and everyone else who identifies as a woman; and “man” includes cis men, trans men, and anyone else who identifies as a man.
- More employee survey respondents reported that they identified as women (59%) than men (38%).
- 3% reported another gender identity (non-binary, trans, questioning, gender non-conforming, agender or two-spirit).
- Academic support staff: 68% identify as women and 29% identify as men
- Academic employees: 37% identify as women and 58% identify as men
Pronouns - employees
Respondents were asked to indicate all the pronouns they used and were able to specify another pronoun not listed in the question.
- More than half of University of Waterloo employees who responded to the survey (60%) reported that they use the “she” pronoun series.
- 37% of employees reported using the “he” pronoun series.
- Fewer than one in 10 (5%) use the “they” pronoun series.
- Academic support staff: “she” pronoun series 69%, “he” pronoun series 29%, “they” pronoun series 5%
- Academic employees: “she” pronoun series 39%, “he” pronoun series 57%, “they” pronoun series 5%
- Less than 5 individuals used the pronoun series “Xe/Xem/Xyr(s)”, “Ze/Hir/Hir(s)”, “Hir/Hir/Hir(s)”. 0.4% of respondents used another pronoun series.
Sexual identity - employees
Respondents were asked to select the sexual identity with which they identified. Respondents were able to select more than one option, and specify another sexual identity not listed.
- More than eight in 10 (81%) of all Waterloo employee survey respondents identified as heterosexual / straight.
- Fewer respondents identified as asexual (4%), bisexual (4%), gay (2%), pansexual (1%), queer (2%), questioning (1%), or lesbian (1%).
- Distributions were generally similar among academic support staff and academic employees.
Religious or spiritual affiliation - employees
Respondents were asked to select the religious or spiritual affiliation(s) they most identified with and could specify another religion or spiritual affiliation.
- Almost half (44%) of all Waterloo employee survey respondents reported that they had no religious affiliation; 42% of academic support staff and 50% of academic employees.
- Four in 10 (40%) of employees (44% of academic support staff and 27% of academic employees) reported that they identified as Christian.
- Four in 10 (40%) of employees (44% of academic support staff and 27% of academic employees) reported that they identified as Christian.
- Fewer respondents identified as Islamic (4%), Another religion or spiritual affiliation (2%), Buddhist (2%), Hindu (2%), Indigenous spirituality (1%), Jewish (1%), Sikh (0.4%).
First generation in family to attend university - employees
Survey respondents who indicated that they had attained some level of post-secondary education (i.e., who indicated “some college/ cegep, some university, completed bachelors, completed masters, completed doctoral, other,”) were also asked to identify whether they were part of the first generation in their immediate families to attend university.
- Four in 10 (40%) of all employee survey respondents were among the first generation to attend university.
- Distributions were generally similar among academic support staff (42%) and decreased among academic employees (36%).
Canadian residency - employees
Respondents were asked to report their residency status in Canada and the length of their residency in Canada. Respondents could select only one response.
- Overall, 86% of respondents identified as Canadian citizens.
- More than nine in 10 (92%) of academic support staff reported Canadian residency while almost three-quarters (74%) of academic employees reported the same.
- Four per cent of all employees reported that they that they held a work / study permit, while one per cent (1%) of academic support staff and more (11%) of academic employees reported the same.
- Eight per cent of all employees reported that they were a permanent resident, while slightly fewer (5%) of academic support staff and slightly more (13%) of academic employees reported the same.
- Almost three-quarters (65%) of all employee respondents reported that they were born in Canada (73% of academic support staff and 46% of academic employees).
- Over one-quarter of all employees (28%) reported that they have lived in Canada for five years or longer (22% of academic support staff and 40% of academic employees).