Each year in early April, we “celebrate” Equal Pay Day. But it’s not much of a celebration.
That’s because Equal Pay Day marks how many extra days into 2022 it takes the average Canadian woman to earn as much as the average man earned in the twelve months of 2021. In other words, the average woman in this country earns about 20% less than the average man.
And that’s just an average. Systemic discrimination in the economy means that women with disabilities face a 56% gender wage gap; immigrant women a 55% gender wage gap; Indigenous women a 45% gender wage gap; and racialized women a 40% gender wage gap. There are also regional differences.
Women’s work is essential to our economy and well-being. We’ve seen this clearly during the pandemic, with women on the front lines at work, in health care, education, and key services, and on the front lines at home, helping educate children and keeping family members safe and cared for.
Women workers deserve better! We need a recovery that lifts all women up, and we need to close the gender wage gap, through effective pay equity laws and enforcement.
In solidarity,
Marty Warren
National Director for Canada
Myles Sullivan
USW District 6 Director
Dominic Lemieux
USW District 5 Director
Scott Lunny
USW District 3 Director
Resources:
Fact sheet on closing the gender wage gap
Gender wage gap infographics: Part 1 and Part 2
Bargaining guide: Closing the gender wage gap
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