Pay inequality between men and women still remains an issue in Canada, in 2025.
Over the years, progress has happened to better gender equality in employment, education, and leadership. Women, especially Indigenous, Racialized and Newcomers still continue to earn less than the male counterparts.
What Is the Gender Pay Gap?
The Gender Pay Gap is the difference in earnings between men and women at their jobs.
In Canada, women earn an estimate of 88 cents for every dollar a man makes, which is based on hourly wages. When we compare annual earnings, which uses part time work and time off for caregiving, this widens the gap even more… to around 71 cents to the dollar.
This pay gap will vary depending on identity and region:
- Indigenous women earn estimated 67 cents for every dollar a non indigenous man earns.
- Women who are newcomers will face both gender and cultural barriers, earning less than 60 cents for the dollar in many Canadian Provinces.
- Racialized women earn 59 cents on the dollar.
These gaps show us that pay inequality isn’t just a “women’s issue,” its an economic and social issue which affects many families and communities across Canada.
Why the Pay Gap Persists in Canada
The reasons behind Canada’s gender pay gaps are interconnected and complex.
- Care Responsibilities: Women have higher chances of taking part time or unpaid work due to looking after and caring for children or aging family members which limits long term earnings and advancement.
- Occupational Segregation: Women remain over represented in many lower paying fields such as service roles, caregiving and education. All while men are showen in the dominate higher paying roles like trades and technology.
- Lack of Pay Transparency: Many organizations will not disclose their salary ranges which makes it harder to detect and fix any wage disparities.
- Systemic Bias: Subtle discriminations in hiring, promotions, and evaluations can prevent women from obtaining leadership positions and equal pay.
The Cost of Inequality
Gender pay gaps have serious economic issues. From the Canadian Women’s Foundation, together women in Canada loose about tens of billions of dollars in income every year due to wage inequality.
This missing income affects home ownership opportunities, retirement savings and financial freedom/independence which contributes to higher poverty rates among senior women.
At Roses Life Women Center, we are proudly committed to empowering women and advocating for economic justice. We can work together towards a future where women being paid equally isn’t a goal anymore…. because its a reality.
#EqualPayCanada #GenderEquity #WomenEmpowerment #PayEquity
