Voices of P&C Women | Women are speaking. Is the industry listening?  

Happy International Women’s Day, 2026!

Once again, Canadian Underwriter is offering a special, week-long edition of ‘Voices of P&C Women’ to showcase the many talented women thriving in Canada’s property and casualty insurance industry.

Each day this week, we’ll present thoughts, insights and analysis from four or more women about how they succeeded in the industry.

We asked them what attracted to them to the industry, what keeps them in the industry, and what the industry can do to make it a welcoming place for the women who will follow in their footsteps.

The primary purpose of the ‘Voices of P&C Women’ newsletter is for P&C professionals to hear about substantive ways P&C organizations can change to support the presence of women in the industry — particularly within their upper echelons or executive leadership roles.

The most recent industry demographic survey in 2022, commissioned by the Insurance Institute of Canada, showed the Canadian P&C industry is made up of 66% women and 31% men. That’s roughly the same as how the industry was composed in 2017, when it was 63% women and 31% men.

And yet, while the industry remains majority female, the percentage of women in executive leadership roles is widely disproportionate, according to research by financial service firm EY in January 2025.

“While research has shown that women make up more than half of the Canadian finance and insurance industry, barely more than a quarter at the executive level are women, and only seven of Canada’s 100 largest publicly traded companies have female CEOs,” Jennifer Baziuk of EY writes.

Anecdotally, CU used to see more women insurance company executives on the stage at broker association CEO panels five-to-10 years ago. But now, it’s common to see an all-male cast of CEOs.

Another curious lack of action is revealed in how P&C industry recruiters report their attempts to entice women into the industry.

In 2022, the Insurance Institute of Canada found the industry’s Top 5 tools for recruiting women were:

• Strong employee well-being and mental health programs and policies
• Strong diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies
• Benefits and pension (vacation policies, etc.)
• Robust onboarding processes (virtual and in-person)
• Hiring bonuses

There is nothing wrong with these tools. However, in previous ‘Voices of P&C Women’ profiles, many women also spoke about the value of workplace flexibility and hybrid work options.

And yet, the Insurance Institute’s study shows this is a favoured tool for recruiting ‘youth,’ rather than women.

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This speaks to a disparity between what women say they want, versus what the P&C industry is offering. So women are speaking, but is the industry listening?

A recent study of 1,502 Canadians (770 of whom are woman) by Benchmark Benefits suggests many women feel that International Women’s Day has become more symbolic than substantive.

Sixty-four per cent of women answering the survey say their employers treat the day as a celebration rather than an opportunity to assess how they support women. And among the benefits most important to them, 82% say they value flexible or reduced work schedules.

And so, once again CU is presenting the Voices of P&C Women. Not only to celebrate their achievements, but in hopes that the industry will hear their stories — and  adjust their hiring practises, their succession strategies, and mentorship programs accordingly.