The city of London, England is famous for its “Mind the Gap” warning which echoes through the public transit system. It cautions riders about the space between the train and the subway platform.
But the warning is also relevant to women around the world as they navigate their careers – there's a gap that's harder to see, impossible to step over, and considerably less charming.
The gender wage gap is the difference in income that women earn when compared to men. Some attribute the wage gap to the fact that women tend to be concentrated in undervalued, low-paying jobs, and make up the majority of part-time workers.
But even when women do work full-time – which often depends on access to affordable childcare and shared domestic responsibilities – the average woman in Canada makes 72 cents for every dollar a man makes. For Aboriginal, racialized and immigrant women, the gap is even wider.
As in the case of the London underground, the first step in overcoming the gender wage gap is making it known. Raising awareness can help employers address pay equity and might lead to policy change that acknowledges the barriers women face. Here’s what you need to know about the wage gap:
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