Wage Gap In Canada by Kinza Nisar

 Wage Gap In Canada

By Kinza Nisar, for ELA 20 A Posted: Jan 23, 2023, 10:20 AM ET Last Updated: January 23, 2023, 4:53 PM ET

The gender gap is a violation of human rights. According to the Canadian Women's Foundation, a woman makes 89 cents an hour, meanwhile, a man makes about a dollar. An eleven cents difference might not seem like a lot, but it is a root cause of many problems women face. The pay gap is directly connected to the economy, fields of study, work, career, and opportunities.

When it comes to gender inequality, Canada ranks only 40th in the World Economic Forum’s (2021) listing of 156 countries. 

In a 2022 survey, Canadian women only make 71% of what men make. 

There are a lot of reasons why women are getting paid less. One of them is because of domestic roles imposed on them. A woman spends on average 15% of her day on unpaid labor in the house. To get ahead in your job you need to work long hours, but the family responsibility is imposed on the women, however, this distracts them from working long hours causing significant wage gaps. 

Meanwhile, women are just stuck with traditionally unskilled and feminine labor like catering, cleaning, and clerical jobs which do not pay much.

In addition, 64% of high-paying jobs like marketing manufacturing, and trades consist of men. 

       On average, women must work 15 and a half months to earn what a man does in 12 months.

A lifetime of pay inequality means that women have a higher chance of falling into poverty. The stress of falling into poverty, or not being able to provide for their kids, makes women stay in abusive relationships despite the danger.

There can be steps taken to end the gender pay gap. Equal pay, treatment, and employment opportunities should be recognized as human rights for women around the world. There should be an obligation on the government to take the necessary measures to close the pay gap. There is a need to raise awareness about the gender pay gap. Ontario has an Equal Pay Day on April 11. Ontario even has the plan to end the gender pay gap by 2025, which requires a clear action plan with realistic and timely goals, targets, and resources. Pay equity laws and policies should insist that men and women are paid equally where they do work of equal value. Employers should be held accountable for unequal pay, including penalties for not adhering such as jail time or fines. Women should have access to better-paying jobs, affordable childcare, and awareness to get equal pay.

       Estimates vary, but the World Economic Forum (2021) has calculated that it will take 267.6 years to close the economic gender gap worldwide if present trends continue.

Works Cited

“Home.” YouTube, https://www.google.com/url?sa=j&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww3.weforum.org%2Fdocs%2FWEF_GGGR_2021.pdf&uct=1674162092&usg=Eaixzxyt0LvtPUuVD52fN2yN1Ag. Accessed 19 January 2023.

Howard, Jessica. “The Gender Pay Gap | Pay Gap in Canada | The Facts.” Canadian Women's Foundation, 23 December 2022, https://canadianwomen.org/the-facts/the-gender-pay-gap/. Accessed 19 January 2023.

Howard, Jessica, and Rachel Leslie. Canadian Women's Foundation - Toronto, https://canadianwomen.org/. Accessed 19 January 2023.

“12 STEPS TO CLOSE THE GENDER PAY GAP How do we get to a 0% Gender Pay Gap by 2025?” CUPE Ontario, https://cupe.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/FINAL-AND-CORRECTED-OFL-INSERT-JAN-13-2017-12-Steps-to-Closing-the-Gender-Pay-Gap-C1828735xA0E3A.pdf. Accessed 19 January 2023.