Unions and Pay Equity
Do you want to instantly make an extra $10,000 per year upon graduation? Be a man. Literally.
By Erica Costin, Intern
A study of Ontario universities found that men make $10,000 more than women in their first year after graduation—regardless of their discipline of study. Five years after graduation that gap increases to 25 percent more in annual income for men than women. As a female student on the cusp of graduating, these facts are beyond frustrating.
Unions fought for pay equity legislation for men and women and won over 60 years ago. Yet even though pay equity is legislated provincially and nationally, if things continue the way that they have been going, it will take 164 years to close the pay gap in Canada.
The causes for this differential in pay are complicated. In Canada some of the biggest causes are that traditional women’s work pays significantly less than traditional men’s work. In addition, women make up the majority of lower-paying occupations, and women are often only able to work part time.
This part time work is generally because women are tasked with managing domestic and childcare duties for their families. Another contributor is that women often choose lower-paying jobs than men or are undervalued for their work.
But even with everything else being equal, conscious or unconscious bias still plays a role. A government report stated that an employed woman with the same socioeconomic status, the same demographic characteristics, and the same workplace experience as a man makes $7,200 less per year.
Additionally, jobs pay more and gain more prestige when there are more men in the workplace than women. On the flip side, pay is lowered in jobs where there are more women than men in the workplace.
Women working full time make 87 cents for every dollar made by men. This gap increases for women of colour and differently abled women.
How will Canada grow if we are undercompensating half the workforce?
Unions such as CLAC continue to fight for pay equity. Statistics Canada reports that within unions, the wage gap is narrowed. Women who are members of a union earn $6.65 more per hour than women who are not part of a union. Not only do unions give women fairer wages, but they also provide better vacation pay, sick pay, and leave so that women have greater flexibility to manage their careers.
To narrow the gap even more, change needs to come from the top. CLAC continues to encourage employers to support women in all jobs and has joined the movement on a national level with Supporting Women in Trades. This not only benefits women, but also benefits industries such as construction that are facing employee shortages.
Ontario’s GDP would increase by 2.5 percent if women were equitably paid. Furthermore, by encouraging workplaces and women themselves to advocate for women, then women will finally receive the respect and compensation that they deserve for their work.
Let’s work together to make this happen.