08) GENDER PAY GAP IN CANADA IS TWICE THE GLOBAL AVERAGE

            According to a recent story in the Huffington Post Canada by Rebecca Zamon, “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.”

            She quotes research from Catalyst Canada, a nonprofit organization that focuses on expanding opportunities for women and business, showing that 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,” says Alex Johnston, executive director of Catalyst Canada.

            The province of Ontario admits that the pay gap is even larger for women who are minorities, Aboriginal, newcomers, or women living with disabilities.

            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.

            According to Ontario’s Pay Equity Commission, approximately 10 to 15 per cent of the wage gap is due to discrimination. Most provincial governments have pay equity plans in place to prevent this from occurring, but the practice persists.

(The above article is from the March 1-15, 2016, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading socialist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)