Plus:  It’s Even Worse Than the United States



(Photo via American T Girl)

You may sometimes hear women friends of yours complaining how they’re always paid less than the men they work with.  Well it turns out that they might be onto something — especially in Canada.

If this were the US you might have something to argue with (see the end of the article).  Women are paid worse than men in Canada according to the OECD – beaten only by 3 other countries.

Canada Among the Top 5 Worst Pay Gap Countries

Most people might think that the US is worse than Canada however they’d be off the mark.  It’s in fact the complete opposite.  Women’s pay has been going up over the last few years.

In Canada, men are still paid more than women and by a huge margin.

“Despite many improvements in women’s employment outcomes, there are still many gender gaps that need to be addressed,” the Paris-based OECD said in a report released on International Women’s Day. (Via TO Sun)

Women are also holding fewer managing positions than men.

The report found that the overall number of women in work is high at 62%, however only about one-third (33%) of managerial posts are held by women. About 25% of women work in part-time positions, compared with just 6% of men, it found. (Via TO Sun)

Apparently only Korea, Japan and Germany are worse than Canada.  Canada is #4, tied with the United Kingdom/Great Britain.  Lovely.

And if you look closely, rural women (the ladies in the country) were already doing badly even before 2008′s recession.

Women Are Better Educated Yet the Jobs Aren’t Panning Out

Ladies are better educated these days (since the 90s).  There are more women going to university than men — every guy whose been to university or college can see that with their own eyes (with a few exceptions like Waterloo).  Apparently it hasn’t equaled things out in the workplace.

… findings suggest that the educational trends have not contributed towards a decline in the full-time employment gap…

… university-educated women have lost ground to university-educated men.

This is likely due to the fact that men and women continued to choose traditional disciplines during the 1990s, but only male-dominated disciplines saw improvements in average earnings…

(Via StatsCan)

The Work Life Balance is Changing

Apparently parents are working longer days than ever including the women of course.  Add that on top of extra household duties and the terrible pay and you could say it’s not looking all that great.

… not only are more men and women sharing the economic and domestic responsibilities in families, but most are also increasing the length of their paid workday.

This has helped position work-life balance among the top 10 issues in collective bargaining.

It has risen in importance because of the “increased recognition of the costs of work-life imbalance in terms of workplace injury rates and the general health of workers, as well as the development and well-being of children and aging parents

(Via StatsCan)

Fortunately, men are beginning to make up by taking care of more of the house work and the kids.

Some Advice on Bridging the Pay Gap

If there’s one lady who you can turn to for career advice it’s Penelope Trunk at the Brazen Careerist.  In one of Penelope’s 2007 articles in BNet she gives 5 quick suggestions to help you “bridge the gap”.

1. Stop Being Paranoid – Find the men who do respect women and work with them.
2. Admit feminism isn’t dead – I’m not qualified to comment, read Penelope’s bit.
3. Avoid assuming you’re being “screwed” in the negotiations (to put it in slang).  Avoid salary numbers – give ranges if pushed for one.
4. Be yourself, stop trying to be a guy.  Penelope claims you should show some cleavage to look smart.  I have no comment on that except to say, “Be yourself” too.
5. Be kind to everyone.  A suggestion everyone should follow.  It’s not just about race or gender, it’s about rich vs. poor too.

If you want Penelope’s advice in full read the article on BNet here.

In Conclusion

In short, women are paid far less then men in Canada compared to the other big and powerful countries of the world.  This continues even though women are better educated.  It is made worse through long hours at lower wages though men are making up by doing more at home.  Is it the way women are thinking that’s getting in the way or can more be done at the policy level to fix it?

Good question.

From your personal experience, do you think women really are paid worse than men in Canada?  Have you seen it first hand?  Is it justified or just the way things are? If you thought this article was right on the money, please leave a comment.

The Extra Stuff:  The US Pay Gap Reverse

The average US man’s pay is worse than it was in the 1970.  You’re looking at every other job that isn’t the high powered, white collar type.  Women who became parents no matter who they were had to take a large pay cut.

Suddenly it’s 2010, the US is hit with the economic recession and evidence is showing that men are still doing badly.

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