Giving Compass' Take:

• Randall Akee explores possible explanations for the high mortality rate among First Nations women in Canada, which is almost 5 times the national average. 

• How can funders help to define the causes of death and suffering for First nations women? How does this play into larger conversations around gender and racial equality?

• Learn how philanthropy can play a role for indigenous communities.


In Canada, Status First Nations persons—those listed in the country’s Indian Register—are significantly more likely than the average Canadian to meet an untimely death. When it comes to wellness outcomes, disparities along racial and ethnic lines are well documented across many metrics. What is often overlooked, however, is what those data look like at the intersection of race and gender.

Our findings indicate that girls and women suffer from a disproportionately high rate of mortality as compared to their male and Canadian counterparts.

In Canada, the probability of early death is higher for Status First Nations person living on one of Canada’s First Nations Reserves than for those living off reserve. Adding location to the intersection of race and gender, we see staggering numbers that are hidden in data aggregated at larger geographic levels—the mortality rate of on-reserve Status girls between the ages of 15 and 19 is almost five times the national average.

What are the causes of such high rates of mortality? It could be several things alone or in combination: lack of access to health care, domestic violence and abuse, or poverty.

Read the full article on Canada's First nation women by Randall Akee at Brookings.