GENDER INEQUALITY IN CANADA
When focusing on equal rights in any country it is common to see several very similar trends. One similarity is the disparity between men and women involving employment opportunities, while another is the rate of pay that each receives. Worldwide it has been noted that many countries have encountered this disparity and have done very little if anything to counter it. In fact the worldwide average pertaining to what men and women earn shows that women earn roughly four thousand dollars less than men. In Canada the difference in pay is twice as much as the worldwide average.
The wage gap is particularly noticeable amongst minorities and women with disabilities living in the Canada. Without any proper training or education and a very likely language barrier it is often quite difficult for women who have few if any prospects to find gainful employment. Even when a job is found and kept it is far more likely that women, particularly those with families, will find themselves stuck in a job that pays very little and does not allow much if any time off to tend to children and other family needs. In this case women will hit what is called a glass ceiling (Korpi, Ferrarini and Englund 2013), meaning that they can advance no further in their current state without the necessary skills and education needed.
In order for women to be seen as equal partners in business and in life it is necessary to engage women on a professional and personal level. Opportunities must be made available to women just as they are to men, and advancement must become an expected opportunity in accordance to merit. If women are to be seen as equal to men they must be afforded the same legal rights to work where they choose and to advance in accordance with their skill level. There is no room in business for gender discrimination as has been shown in the past.
A large part of why women are so woefully underrepresented and underpaid has to do with education, family, and the shortage of availability for work. Without a proper education, women cannot hope to compete with men and even other women who have completed years of schooling and possess required documentation and training for high-paying jobs. According to the Government of Canada (2016) in 1991 the country’s dropout rate was seen to affect primarily young men, though women were not far behind. Despite the gradual decline in the dropout rate women are still often forced to take low-paying jobs and often live on part-time wages.
Despite the obvious wage gap that still exists Canada has been steadily building to equalize pay between men and women. This process is still ongoing, but with government assistance and continual support to women’s groups and the push for equal rights and equal pay the deficit is beginning to narrow. One very telling factor that can affect the rate of pay for female employees is that of “traditional work”. What this means for men and women is that men’s work has been seen as outside of the home in specialized fields that require training and intensive labor.
Women’s work, as it has been dubbed in the past, was considered traditional in the sense that women were often expected to perform the same tasks they accomplished at home. Cleaning, cooking, and homemaking were traditionally considered women’s work. In this light the disparity in pay when considering traditional work between men and women had more to do with what was expected of each gender. While this has been shown to be flawed and quite outdated the concept has remained and as a result has limited the pay that women receive.
Within recent years women have been making far less in several countries than men, in
some cases making half as much for the same type of work. With the cost living expenses rising
it is difficult to impossible in some regards to make a decent living and support a family when
wages are kept at such a low and unfair level. While tradition would insist that certain types of employment are more fit for women and don’t demand as high a salary, the reality is that women who work as hard, or harder, then men are still being paid far less. Equal pay for equal work has been stated as the required and requested norm, but as of yet has not reached its full potential in many regions.
given far more equal opportunities to earn a living. There are still many women that have yet to
gain the chance at equality in the workplace as well as an equal amount of pay. Education,
which is now as readily available to women as it is to men, is still a very decisive factor in the wages that women will make in comparison to men. With more and more women completing high school and going on to postsecondary education, it is likely that the wage gap will become all but negligible in the years to come.
How other countries reach gender equality
It is surprising but as well inspiring that one country in particular that has reached far more in terms of wage equality between men and women are located in Africa. The Rwanda genocide is in part responsible for the upswing in the country’s lean towards gender equality. During the massacre roughly half a million women were raped and over eight hundred thousand adults and children were killed. While the horror of this event was tragic and unbearable to those involved, it also sparked a movement that eventually brought great change to the country.
In response to the horrific tragedy the women of Rwanda began to stand as one and
voiced their demands for more power to do what they wished. As a result their country’s
constitution was eventually changed in several ways. Women were to be represented within
their political system by no less than thirty percent. Greater equality within marriages began to
become common, and even the ownership of land was bestowed upon women. Many even began to put off having children in order to gain financial advantage by working longer and harder in their younger years.
The only true issue in pushing these demands forward has been the resistance from those
political and traditionalist factions that aim to keep women in the same roles they have endured
throughout many generations. As in many countries those in Rwanda who view gender equality
in a more traditional view, meaning women would stay at home raising children and men would
be out working to support the family. While such roles still exist women in Rwanda have come a
long ways in gaining a measure of independence that until fairly recently did not exist. As Debusscher and Anson (2013) have observed, neglect towards the labors of women has led to a minimalistic attitude that undermines the transformative potential of gender equality.
How to implement gender equality
Rwanda’s shift in policy came from a horrific genocidal tragedy, which is not a recommended prerequisite for any country. Despite the terrible loss of life and degradation involved, the incident did spur women towards claiming a greater level of independence and equality within their country. In fact the shift was great enough that portions of their constitution were changed, and their political system was required to grant greater representation to women. Traditional value and practices were still observed and kept, but women gained a much more prominent role in matters such as owning land and deciding their own future in regards to career and family.
While Canada and Rwanda share far different cultures it is fair to state that inequality is
still a common denominator. In order to gain greater gender equality, especially where wages
are concerned, it has become necessary to speak out and organize to attain the desired goal.
Despite the established system of government it has been shown that with enough backers and a strong enough base that any movement can effect great change in nearly any system. The traditional hierarchy that maintains the status quo must be held accountable for the equal rights and pay of all individuals, not just those that are favored by tradition.
With more and more women deciding to pursue postsecondary education and begin
careers it is necessary to review and revise any and all laws pertaining to equal rights and equal
pay. In order to close the wage gap that still exists it is necessary to assess and discuss the
difference of roles within the workplace. This will then to insure that those who possess the
needed skills for a position are compensated for their time and effort, and not offered less because of their gender. Women and men must be paid equal wages for equal time and skill, or there will be no such idea as equality.
In addition to this it is important to note that even as part-time employee’s women must be compensated fairly and earn what part-time wages entail. Men who work part-time should make no more and no less than those women who are only capable of part-time work, thereby drawing the wage gap a little bit closer to even. Likely such changes will take time as various employers will still seek to cling to tradition and resist change until it is demanded by law. Once made a legal matter however it stands to reason that women will begin to enjoy the full benefits of equal pay in the workplace.
In the modern day the dividing line between “men’s work” and “women’s work” has been all but erased. The lack of equality in wages for the time and effort invested by workers however has not. Throughout the world the wage gap is still a very big reality that many countries have begun to solve. In Canada this dilemma is also slowly being resolved, but at a much slower pace than many of its global neighbors.
References
Debusscher, Petra and Anson, Ans. 2013. “Gender Equality Policies in Rwanda: Public Relations
or Real Transformations?” Development and Change 44(5): 1111-1134.
Government of Canada. 2016. “Learning-School Dropouts.” Retrieved June 6, 2016.
(http://well-being.esdc.gc.ca/misme-iowb/?iid=32).
Korpi, Walter, Ferrarini, Tommy, Englund, Stefan. 2013. “Women's Opportunities under
Different Family Policy Constellations: Gender, Class, and Inequality Tradeoffs in Western Countries Re-examined.” Social Politics 20(1): 1-40.
