Accommodation of Religious Practices Maciej Mark Karpinski Sr. Research Analyst RDIMS 1184141

1. Accommodation of Religious PracticesMaciej Mark KarpinskiSr. Research AnalystRDIMS 1184141

2. Structure of Presentation • Objective • Methodology • Data • Results • Further research • Next Steps

3. Objective • Three objectives: • to survey the type of accommodations of religious practices being granted in employment and in the provision of services, • to document the challenges arising from such requests, and • to illustrate how some of these challenges are being dealt with.

4. Methodology • Methodological Approach: • Grounded theory method (Martin & Turner, 1986) • a systematic methodology in the social sciences involving the discovery of theory through the analysis of data. Rather than beginning with a hypothesis, the first step is data collection, through a variety of methods. From the data collected, the key points are marked with a series of codes, which are extracted from the text. The codes are grouped into similar concepts in order to make them more workable. From these concepts, categories are formed, which are the basis for the creation of a theory, or a reverse engineered hypothesis.

5. Methodology • Data Sources: • Field notes, jurisprudence, CHRC complaints, Bouchard-Taylor Report • Coverage: • Data covers period from 1981 to 2010 • Geographic distribution: • Canada • National coverage (provincial, federal, territorial jurisdictions)

6. Methodology • Variables Coded: • Demographic data: employment/services, sector, religious affiliation • Accommodation type: arrangement granted to facilitate religious practice within the organization • Request type: the type of religious practice seeking accommodation • Outcome: the challenge arising from granting the accommodation and the way it was dealt with (if applicable)

7. Number of Accommodations in Employment & Services

8. Number of Accommodations by Sector

9. Number of Accommodations by Religious Affiliation

10. Five types of requests • Requests to: • facilitate prayer • facilitate observance • modify appearance standards • facilitate dietary obligations • restrict gender interaction

11. Requests to facilitate prayer • Type of accommodation: • Facilities • Provision of dedicated prayer space • Provision of temporary space for religious activities • Facilitation of ablution practices • Access • Scheduling and leave

12. Requests to facilitate prayer: Challenges

13. Requests to facilitate observance • Type of accommodation: • Scheduling/Leave • Task restructuring

14. Requests to facilitate observance: Challenges

15. Requests to modify appearance standards • Type of accommodation: • Dress code modifications • Task restructuring

16. Requests to modify appearance standards: Challenges

17. Requests to facilitate dietary obligations • Type of accommodation: • Provision of space where religiously-compliant food is made available • Provision of food options

18. Requests to facilitate dietary obligations: Challenges

19. Requests to restrict gender interaction • Type of accommodation: • Facilities • Adapting services • Avoiding physical contact

20. Requests to restrict gender interaction: Challenges

21. Analysis

22. Further Research • Perceived/actual hierarchy of rights (gender equality) • Preference vs Need • Sincerely held belief • Negotiating compromise

23. Next Steps • Research on value-based disputes • Competing rights • Negotiating value-based disputes