Gender wage gap exposed every payday, census shows

Across all fields, men earn more than their female counterparts

Women continue to earn far less than men in Canada, the latest census numbers show.

The wage gap persisted across all fields with women holding a bachelor’s degree having a median income of $68,342 in 2016, while men with the same level of education earned $82,082, according to Statistics Canada data released Wednesday.

That $13,740 difference is enough to buy a small car — and take the family for a sunny vacation.

“Whether it’s a maledominated field like STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) or a female-dominated field like nursing, men continue to earn more and that is a result of direct sexism in the labour market,” said Sheila Block, a senior economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. The data showed that men and women graduating from STEM studies had higher earnings than those in other fields such as business, humanities, health, arts, social science and education.

But a gender split exists even among those in the higher paid jobs. Men working in STEM fields earn 23.9 per cent more than men in other fields while women in STEM occupations earn 11.5 per cent more than women in other fields.

Block said the stark difference between those percentages is concerning because it shows that even when women enter high-earning, maledominated fields they are not receiving the financial rewards that men do.

Even in female-dominated careers, such as nursing, the gap persisted with men between 25 and 34 making $77,698, while women in the same age range made $75,027, according to the data.

“Sometimes sexism is indirect and sometimes it’s more direct,” Block said. “I think what this data suggests is that women with the same credentials at the same point in their working lives are being paid less than men and that, really, is a call for more pay transparency.”

Block said employers need to be held accountable to ensure they are reducing systemic sexism rather than reinforcing it, adding employers should make pay rates public and make sure women are not undervalued in the workforce.

“I think women are less valued in the labour market than men,” Block said. “You have women with similar credentials and similar work experience, yet they are being paid less, which suggests there is sexism in the workplace.”

The census data shows that more than four in 10 Canadian women aged 25 to 34 had a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2016, compared with fewer than 33 per cent in 2006.

While earnings for women with a bachelor’s degree have risen over the past decade, income inequality remains widespread. In 2015, women earned less than men at every level of education in all provinces and territories except Nunavut.

“Women are always told to get more education, to get more education in male-dominated fields,” she said. “Women who are doing this are still behind their male counterparts and are still not getting the premiums in their earnings that their male counterparts do.”

Women starting their careers at lower pay concerns Block because it reflects their lifetime earnings, in many cases.

“It’s about men being more valued than women. Men are receiving more advancement than women. Men are getting higher starting salaries than women and men are being offered positions that pay more,” she said.

Carrie Tanguay, who has been working in the tech field for 10 years, said when she accepted her first job she did not negotiate the salary. Two years later, she realized she was severely underpaid.

“It requires confidence and a belief that if you walk into the negotiation and then walk away, that you will find another job,” Tanguay said. “Women feel that they have to take whatever they can get because there are fewer opportunities for women.”

This is why it’s really important to have pay transparency, said Block, adding that doing so would ensure women aren’t at a disadvantage because they will know what their colleagues are making.

“Men are receiving more advancement than women. Men are getting higher starting salaries than women and men are being offered positions that pay more.” SHEILA BLOCK SENIOR ECONOMIST CANADIAN CENTRE FOR POLICY ALTERNATIVES