According to a study done by OECD, which is the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, in the year 2010, "Canadian men on average get paid more than 20% more than their female colleagues". (torontosun.com)This statistic is disturbing, because many people are unaware of this gender pay gap, or assume that men and women receive equal pay.
The gender income gap is defined as "the ratio of female to male wages, and is used to measure the income disparity between men and women."(womenshealthdata.ca). Women often have to give up their careers, or limit the amount of work they can do, in order to be a caregiver for their family. Many employers take this fact into consideration when hiring women, making them less likely to do so. Women are also likely to miss more time at work than men, therefore losing opportunities to earn promotions or career upgrades. A teacher I had in high school, for example, was married to a woman who was working in a government job. They had 3 young children together, so his wife missed work due to maternity leave and child care responsibilities. Because of the time she missed, she did not receive valuable training to her job, and lost the opportunity to earn a promotion or wage increase because she did not receive training. This is an example of what happens to many women, who even in our society today, are not given the same equal opportunities as men.
Another factor affecting women's equality in the workplace, is the glass ceiling theory. The glass ceiling is defined as "an intangible barrier within a hierarchy that prevents women or minorities from obtaining upper-level positions". (merriam-webster.com). Barriers such as negative gender stereotypes, inequal pay opportunities, and even sexual harassment all restrict women from achieving the same success in their workplace as men can. This theory mainly affects women, of all ethnicities, and can be broadened to include many minority male and female groups. This is an issue that affects women across the globe; as women everywhere face implicit and explicit gender barriers in the workplace.
-Jessica
Works Cited
Canada gender pay gap among worst in OECD |Money | Toronto Sun. (n.d.). Toronto Sun. Retrieved from http://www.torontosun.com/money/2010/03/08/13155136.html
Glass ceiling - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (n.d.). In Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glass%20ceiling
The Source - Women's Health Data Directory. (n.d.). The Source - Women's Health Data Directory. Retrieved from http://www.womenshealthdata.ca/category.aspx?catid=145&rt=2
It's truly awful to hear that something like that is going on, especially in toady's society. Being a woman it makes me feel like I should re consider how much I get paid to ensure that my company is being fair. It's also scary to hear that since some working woman could be single mothers who are trying to make enough to pay the bills and buy food. If they're getting cut back on promotions or wages its really unfair. I also find it interesting that you mentioned the glass ceiling theory. I learned about that in my business class that I took in grade 12. They will sometimes have physical floors/walls etc. in a big business office on purpose so that when the 'lower ranked' people look up they see what they can never accomplish. And it is sad because you're right this isn't just happening to woman its also happening to people of minorities.
ReplyDelete- Chelsea L
I find this really unfair to women because we give the same amount of effort, if not sometimes even more effort than men. We also do the same job that every man does, so why are we being paid less? With regards to women taking time off for care giver responsibilities, is changing. In some cases, men and women now split the maternity leave, or men will sometimes stay home while the women go back to work. I believe that over time as this becomes more popular in families, workforces will have to revaluate and create equal wages for both men and women.
ReplyDelete-Kahli (Physical Disabilities Group)
This issue you have brought to light is surprising because many people are unaware that this is occuring. For me being a women it is saddening to read of such statistics, and that gender inequality still exists in the workforce. I do agree with Kahli in that women taking time off for caregiver responsibilities is changing. Along with this I do believe that the whole idea of men getting the higher paying jobs is somewhat changing as well. Examples from where I am from (Thunder Bay) come to mind: a couple years ago the hospital in Thunder Bay hired a new CEO whom happened to be a woman. The last CEO was male. The president of the college in Thunder Bay is also female. The mayor of Thunder in 2003-2010 was also a female. These are a few examples that lead me to think in general there is a shift occuring. I think this shift will continue in this area as more women continue to excel in their education and pursue those prestigious jobs.
ReplyDeleteAlissa B-Mental illness group
I can connect with this blog on a very personal level. I am a mom of two kids. When I was pregnant with my first daughter, I was thrilled. I still remember the day I told me boss about my pregnancy with a big smile on my face, and received the look if disappointed. Obviously because I am going to have to leave work because of maternity leave. I was distraught. It was so disheartening to have someone react like this in this day and age. When I return from maternity leave, I felt as though I was being scrutinized. My male coworkers were insulted that I just resume my position after "taking a break" for a year. They were so mean to me that I resigned after only being back at work a few months and changed employments. Where the same sort of thing happened to me with my second child, I decided to go back to school. As a woman I have rights, and I expected to be treated with respected when I utilized the rights I have in the workplace. Yes things are progressing for woman in the workplace but there are still a lot of people who are living in the dark ages. I know, because I experienced it. This blog educated people on some statistics and facts about inequalities in the work place and some struggles woman face. As a mom, I totally experience the missed work days due to sick kids and being extra tired because of the household responsibilities, work and school responsibilities, kids and so much more but to me, it's worth it all for my kids. It's really good to see that people's eyes are open to these types of barriers we are experiencing and I hope we continue to move in a position direction as a society.
ReplyDeleteAngele
I understood the basis of this, but you have opened my eyes up much more to the situation, thank you for that! I was a teenage mother, and stayed home with my children for 10 years untill they all were able to attend school, and then I went back and gained a GED and got into University. During my 10 years I had been in many situations where I felt like my voice wasn't loud enough, and I kind of knew then that the world was still very sexist. I know that in some cultures, women are highly respected as the staples of any home, and usually have loud voices in their community. It is sad to see that after all the problems within the world, no one wants to hear the voice of the mothers of the world.
ReplyDeleteWomen generally do more work then men, having to birth and raise children isn't a walk in the park. Their lives change so much in that time frame alone, its often hard to keep up with their own basic needs, and many of them have to go to work fairly quickly after having their child, just to keep their bills paid. After all, you can't properly raise a child if you have no means of feeding or housing your self. Our current economy is not family friendly, the price of food alone is often higher for those trying to eat healthy and baby supplies are expensive. Housing is often more difficult to obtain, homeowners no longer allow families to rent their houses, and the rental market is already high, owning a home is even more difficult with needing bank loans and credit. It seems that society has lined up many barriers for women to climb in order to have their voices heard, and that alone is a tragedy.
Women are our toughest workers, against all social road blocks we find a way to break through the system. I hope to see us continue to lead the way for the next generation of girls, and break down these old sexist barriers in order to move toward a positive future for all walks of life.
-Elizabeth
I find your blog very interesting and as a female I am still in disbelief that our male counterparts would receive an increase in pay simply because of gender. In this day and age I would assume wages would be equal no matter what race, gender or ethnicity, unfortunately that assumption it wrong. As women we have fought for equal rights, like the right to vote. I wonder if it time that women regain our voices and stand for equality in the work force. If I am doing the same job as a male co-worker I expect to get paid the same amount, simply because the same job description would mean same pay. And if there are any males that think otherwise I would love to know your beliefs on why equality in pay is unrealistic. Social democrats talk about equality and fairness, I wonder if they would be lead political party in Canada if they would stand true to their values and equalize pay.
ReplyDeleteChristine-Timmins
As a woman, I can relate to this social issue. I have experienced work place discrimination in regards to gender. Within my work place, I applied to do a job that was primarily done by males. When I never heard back from my manager and was notified that someone else (a male) received the job, I was told that I wasn't suitable. Of course I couldn't understand this, so I asked him why I wasn't suitable... he told me because I am a girl and boy will be able to get the job done more effectively.
ReplyDeleteSo, I was sent back to my department to sell makeup. I was told by another manager that if I didn't like it I could leave, and as a student I obviously can not afford to lose my job. This is an issue that is still very much present in society.
-Alexandra
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad that women still in this day go through all of this. Women deserve a maternity leave and time with their baby. Sometimes, women are forced to come back to work shortly after having their child, while some women's jobs are even threatened if they do not return promptly. Along with this dispute, my mother is in a situation, where all of her superiors are males, while the people below them are female. Unfortunately, I think that to some people men are still seen as the strong leaders while women are seen as followers. This is something that needs to get out of the minds of people to fully get the best out of the workplace and out of society.
ReplyDelete-Alannah
This is not something that I have even thought of before reading your blog. I assumed that we have come so far for equal rights that this isn’t something that is an issue anymore. Whenever I hear of a man staying home to help with the children I have an overwhelming feeling of joy that we have beat the sexist society. It is hard to know that this is still out there and is ongoing. As a woman I can only hope that I have not and will never get discriminated against. Unfortunately this is probably not the case. Women across the world need to come together and support each other. There is a group in Sault Ste. Marie called Womyn for Social Justice that brings all different women together to advocate for themselves. This should be something that should be implemented in every city for support.
ReplyDeleteBritney (LGBT)
Jess,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. This is a great subject with a lot of very interesting points of view. In a Sociology class I took last year, wage gape was a discussion I found most valuable. I found it so important because a lot of people don't know there is a wage gap which is scary to me because so many deserving people suffer from it. The glass ceiling theory was my favorite theory in the class. I was aware women were treated unequally at work but I wasn't aware of the specifics. Two examples of this that we were given really put this into perspective as to how unfair it really is. 1) A woman who works the same position as a male, will not make as much as the male. 2) A woman who works above a male still has a very good chance of making less than someone who works below her. I know someone who was actually scared because of a male counterpart being her competition in a job opportunity. The woman had to think of a plan B incase she wasn't given the extension on her contract for work. Its frustrating to think about because you never hear a male being "scared" when his competition is a female.
Geraldine
This is a great issue that you've brought up. I knew about the issue before, but I thought it was corrected years ago. I guess I was wrong. I don't see how women get paid less for the same amount of work that men do, it's unfair and sexist. I know my mother worked at a bank for 23 years, and later quit due to having to raise 5 children while my father worked. It's also difficult to try and get back into the workforce after being out of it for so long, because employers assume you're unqualified and inexperienced because you haven't worked for quite a while. Great job on the post.
ReplyDelete-Spencer (poverty group)
In my sociology class last night, my professor told us that there are three things that women in the business world need to learn to have a chance of moving up on the corporate ladder;
ReplyDelete- drink whiskey
-swear with some class
and..
-golf.
Personally, I don't think that it's fair that women don't recieve the same wages as men. If the woman is qualified and is able to do the work as well or better than any male, they should recieve the same wages. Great post Jess, this is an issue that needs to be properly dealt with, and SOON.
-Helen
Good topic choice. I never thought these allegations were true until a job I just currently obtained. I get paid less then my male co workers, and it might be because they have been there longer or it might be because they are male and I am female. Also there are a lot of things that I am not allowed to do just because of the mere fact that I am a girl. I am perceived as weak and fragile just because I am a girl, and even though I have proved that I can do certain tasks I am still not allowed to do them. It's frustrating but I guess that is just how it is when you have an old Italian boss who is stuck in his sexist ways.
ReplyDeleteAlexandra