The difference between how much women and men are paid in Canada isn't just a large amount — it’s actually a life-changing one.
According to Catalyst Canada, a nonprofit organization that focuses on expanding opportunities for women and business, Canadian women earn $0.82 to every $1 earned by men. That’s marginally better than the U.S.’s $0.78 for every $1, but sets the gap in Canada at 18 per cent — much higher than in other countries, specifically in Europe.
“The global pay gap was about $4,000 on average between men and women, and the Canadian pay gap was just over $8,000,” Alex Johnston, executive director of Catalyst Canada, told the Globe and Mail.
Economics professor Kevin Milligan tweeted the following last October to demonstrate the problem visually:
Although many reports have attributed the gap between men’s and women’s salaries to mothers taking time off for childcare in their career-building years, Catalyst notes that even just one year out of university, there’s still a 6.6 per cent gap between what women and men earn.
One employer, McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., is taking steps to fix the gap one employee at a time, with a recent announcement of $3,515 being added to female professors' paychecks that "couldn't be explained away by discipline or rank," according to Inside Higher Ed.
Catalyst, along with the WEB Alliance (a British Columbia-based business networking association for women), released a B.C.-focused report on Wednesday entitled, “Women as a Catalyst for Growth: A BC Action Plan,” has some key recommendations on how parity can be achieved, with plans that could undoubtedly apply to businesses across the country.
Specifically, the report recommends creative flexible work practices to help support families, as well as creating a space for mentors and role models to impart their wisdom — a practice that many successful people say has helped them immeasurably.
Two other aspects include encouraging diversity from the youngest age possible to make sure girls know business and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields are options for them as well, as well as making sure men are part of the conversation as well.
Best And Worst Canadian Cities For Women
#20 Edmonton(01 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Edmonton comes in second to last place in areas of women’s political representation — currently one woman is elected at the municipal level. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#19 Oshawa, Ont.(02 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Women earn about $14,000 less per year than men in Oshawa for all jobs, and there is a higher than average number of sexual assaults per year. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#18 Windsor, Ont.(03 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Men outnumber women in jobs in trades and apprenticeships at a rate of more than two to one. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#17 Calgary(04 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Calgary has one of the worst records among the top 30 cities for promoting women into senior management positions. Women only hold 22 per cent of these jobs. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#16 Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Ont.(05 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: The rate of sexual assaults reported to the police in Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo areas is slightly higher than the national average. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#15 London, Ont.(06 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: The people of London (about 66 per cent of men and 62 per cent of women), identify their health as good or excellent. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#14 St Catharines, Ont.(07 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Compared to other cities on this list, both men and women report high levels of stress. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#13 Vancouver(08 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Women living in Vancouver have the highest life expectancy compared to other cities. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#12 Winnipeg(09 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Winnipeg has the highest rates of police reported incidents of sexual assault compared to the rest of these cities. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#11 Regina(10 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Regina has one of the best records for women's representation in senior management positions — even though men still outnumber women. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#10 Hamilton, Ont.(11 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: More than a quarter of women in Hamilton (28 per cent) identify their lives as highly stressful. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#9 Halifax(12 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Halifax scored the highest in terms of having the smallest gap for men and women's employment. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#8 Sherbrooke(13 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Even with one of the smallest populations on this list, Sherbrooke, Que. has nearly equal levels of employment for men and women. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#7 Ottawa-Gatineau(14 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Women can expect to earn the most money in Ottawa-Gatineau. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#6 Toronto(15 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: The wage gap in Toronto is smaller than average — women earn about 77 cents on the male dollar. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#5 Victoria(16 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Victoria has one of the highest rates of women holding senior management positions — 33 per cent. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#4 Montreal(17 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Women are more likely to have diplomas (high school, college and university) than men in Montreal. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#3 St. John's(18 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: St. John's has one woman for every two men in top management jobs. However, it is also the only city with no female city councillor. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#2 Saskatoon(19 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: Four out of 11 city councilors are women. (credit:WikiMedia:)
#1 Quebec City(20 of20)
Open Image ModalHIGHLIGHT: At the number one spot, Quebec had the highest scores in areas of women's leadership and the lowest rate of police-reported sexual and domestic violence cases. (credit:WikiMedia:)