City has work to do to move the needle on gender equity, Vital Signs study shows

Edmonton is behind other major Canadian cities and still has work to do in closing the pay gap between men and women, a community foundation study shows.

The 2018 Vital Signs study by the Edmonton Community Foundation and Edmonton Social Planning Council highlights about a $20,000 difference in median income between men and women in 2016.

“It’s a good reminder that Edmonton continually is listed as one of the worst cities in Canada to be a woman,” Edmonton Community Foundation spokeswoman Elizabeth Bonkink said.

“We want all of our citizens to have equitable status. When women are falling behind, that’s a little more than 50 per cent of our population.”

More Edmonton women have a post-secondary degree or certificate, the study found, but 60,890 more men have an income higher than $100,000.

This could be attributed to the prominent industries in Edmonton, Bonkink said, where higher paying jobs are found in the trades and energy sectors.

“Because of the nature of the economy here in Edmonton, we encourage women to study in the energy sector or in trades,” she added.

This year’s annual study took a different approach by focusing on four individual issues — women, sexual orientation and gender identity, visible minority women and senior women.

In 2016, Edmonton had the second-highest sexual assault rate out of Canada’s major cities — only behind Winnipeg — and saw a 13 per cent spike in the first seven months of 2017.

The study findings will go toward grants for services and programs to make a difference on these issues in Edmonton, Bonkink said, noting the foundation has given $2 million to issues covered in past years.

Edmonton’s YWCA counselling centre will receive $75,000 over three years to address the growing demand for services at the women’s organization. This funding will help increase the number of sessions delivered each year and reduce wait times, the study said.

The foundation also used the city’s vast open data portal to break down notable demographics by city neighbourhood, including most octogenarians and most edible fruit trees on public land.

The study also found dogs are the preferred pet choice for Edmontonians, with 35,235 more licensed dogs than cats. But the city isn’t without its bird lovers — the data found 47 licensed pigeons throughout the city.

Because of the nature of the economy here in Edmonton, we encourage women to study in the energy sector or in trades.