Two recent reports form the Centre for Policy Alternatives address the gender gap in Canada and Ontario. Both find that not enough is being done to close the distance between men and women in the workplace.
Closing the Gender Gap takes a look at a variety of indicators used by the World Economic Forum to assess the gender gap in education, health, the economy, and politics. Author Kate McInturff found it would take more than 200 years to close the overall gap in Canada If progress were to continue at the current pace.
Some of that score is a result of abysmal scores in the political empowerment of women. Even so, Canada does not perform well on the economic participation and opportunity sub-index, despite having excellent scores in educational attainment for women.
Another study, 10 Ways To Close Ontario’s Gender Pay Gap, points to a 28 per cent gender pay gap in Ontario, taking into account the dependence of so many women on part-time work. Mary Cornish complements McInturff’s recommendations by identifying concrete steps to ensure that real progress is made and maintained. In addition to measures to increase awareness and making pay equity a mainstream concern, she discusses practical matters like affordable and accessible child care, implementing and ensuring compliance with pay equity policies, employment and pay equity laws, and, not least, access to collective bargaining.