Pension shortfall for women is shameful

Re Ontario needs pay-transparency law, April 11 Please thank Sara Mojtehedzadeh for her very informative and dismal article about women’s equal-pay status and the effect this has on women’s retirement income.

It is nothing short of shameful that women as seniors, if they have spent their lives as caregivers for kids, seniors and disabled family members while also juggling part-time jobs at minimum wages, end up with the lowest pensionable earnings (but still taxable) in Canada.

For Canada to claim to stand for women’s rights but reward women so poorly is nothing short of hypocritical. Our poorest seniors are women.

The government is concerned about the falling birthrate and is allowing more immigrants to supplement the shortfall.

But women sacrifice future pension income by choosing to have kids.

Families sacrifice a needed second income when one takes time off to have kids or nurse family members, even though it may save social services a considerable amount of money.

Too many don’t get benefits at workplaces.

It’s nothing short of shocking to learn that women are so behind in equal earnings that they need to work till 79, while a man can retire at 65. That is not equality and not justifiable by any means. M. Schooff, Orangeville, Ont.