Gender Wage Gap Discrimination in Canada - Essay Example

Gender Wage Gap Discrimination in Canada College: Gender Wage Gap Discrimination in Canada In the world today, global diversity management has become a tough battle that aims at reducing discrimination based on gender, race, age and even nationality. Diversity trends show that specific minority groups have suffered in the employment sector despite numerous efforts to minimise discrimination in the society. In Canada, Ontario, there is evidence that women, especially female immigrants, have suffered from discrimination in the employment sector. Apart from the hardships they have to survive before obtaining a job, it is clear that their salaries are way lower than those of males for equal positions and equal roles. Despite the efforts of the international labour organization and the human rights commission to fight against wage differences across genders, this problem still persists. Research shows that wage balance is one way of empowering the economy by providing equal chances for every person in the society to develop. While some analytics argue that wage gap is a result of difference in education level across genders, this paper argues that wage gap is a form of discrimination. The gender wage gap in Ontario has been a controversial issue since early 1980s when this difference was noted. Cornish and Faraday (2008) noted that women salary for equal position in Ontario is 29% below that of women indicating a wide salary gap across the gender boundaries. A close look at the wage gap trends indicates that there has only been slight improvement in the last 25 years despite the numerous efforts to close this gap. In 1987, before the emergence of wage gap activists, the wage gap was approximately 37% in Ontario. These trends indicate that the efforts to bring down the gap have been undermined and the gap remains wide. Cornish (2009) points out the wage gap has affected aboriginal women who have migrated to Ontario in search for a job. This trend in the Ontario employment sector is a matter that has attracted a lot of attention not only from the public but also to the women right activists as many feel that there is a need for equal pay across all gender as part of diversity management. Cornish and Faraday (2008) point out that the wage gap difference is a matter of urgency that must be addressed to fight gender oppression in the society. Wages gap analysts have come up with myriad argument on the cause of wage gap across gender in Canada, Ontario. A good number of them argue that the education difference in Ontario is the major reason why there is wage gap in this society. The argument of those who feel that gender wage gap is not a direct manifestation of female discrimination is that men are more educated and experienced in this society. This argument has received criticism as there has been a great improvement in women education in Canada and the gap is closing down to zero in the near future. The fact that wage gap still persists in this society rules out the probability that gender wage gap is a result of education difference between males and females in Ontario. In addition, the wage gap between aboriginal women and native women is not a shadow of the educational difference in this society. Block (2010) points out that in Ontario women with graduate education earn different depending on their race. In her research, Block found out that aboriginal woman graduate aged between 25 and 44 earn about 47% less than native women holding the same employment position. These statistics point out that racialised women in Ontario are far less paid that native women, showing an aspect of racial discrimination, not forgetting the gender discrimination evident in this society. The deduction that emanates from the situation in Ontario is that gender discrimination is a reality, and that aboriginal women are most affected. The impact of wage gaps across gender has far reaching effects in the community today. In the recent past, the society has endeavoured to empower women and to support them in the rise against oppression. The complexity of modern family structures is one reason why women need to be empowered in the society. Today, women are required to take up the role of family care as much as men do. As the human rights commission states, women are equal human beings and the society has to appreciate and give them equal rights to grow and develop. Therefore, wage discrimination in Ontario undermines the effort of the society to implement gender diversity management. In addition, women have to meet their basic needs that cannot be met if their salaries are lower than those of the males. The existence of single motherhood family structures for reasons of divorce or death of one parent leaves women as the sole family caretaker. In such as society where women are paid less, it is literary difficult for single women to raise their families. If such women cannot afford to give their children the right standard of education that they deserve, it results into widening education gaps in the society (Work Rights, 2008). For a government that values education it is crucial to support women and provide an opportunity for them to raise their families in the right manner. From this point of view, it is true that gender discrimination in the employment undermines the efforts of the world to create an environment of equality by fighting all forms of population diversity in the employment sector. The discrimination of the aboriginal women has far more reaching effects in the Ontarian community. Most aboriginal women in the Canada have moved in this region of the world in search for employment and to escape the suffering they have faced in their countries. In a century when the globe has become a small village, people are not limited by geographical boundaries in search for employment as long as they have the right qualifications. The widening gap in wage between native women and aboriginal women has resulted to the increase in poverty among the immigrants. Block (2010) points the poverty level among the racialised groups in Ontario grew from 6% in 2005 to 18.7% in 2008, indicating a triple increase in the poverty rate among this minority group. This increase in poverty shows is a result of the 47% wage gap that exists between native and aboriginal women (Cool, 2010). An increase in poverty level in any community has a numerous implications in the society. First, the poor cannot afford to keep with the ever rising standards of living in Canada. Secondly, it is impossible for them to afford decent education that is necessary for the development of this minority group. Resultantly, the gap between the rich and the poor in this society is expected to increase exponentially making it a complex matter for the government to handle. The problem of wage difference across lines of gender is a persistent issue in the history of Ontario and the society. The Ontario Pay Equity Act was started in 1987 to solve the problem of female discrimination in the employment sector. The main aim of the Equity Act was to mobilize the government and the employers to take personal responsibilities in the gender gap crisis that had hit Ontario. The enactment of this Act came after 1985 labour statistics indicate that the gender wage gap in Ontario was trending at 38%. Statistics indicated that women were paid less for equal work than men no matter the work environment or the type of labour. The pay Equity act intended to bring about a concrete definition of equality in payment in the work sector and to compel the organization to stick by this definition. According to the Human rights Commission pay equity is a condition of justice when people get what they rightfully deserve no matter their gender, age or race. One of the principles that were coined in this act is “equal pay for equal work.” This principle demanded that every person in the employment receive equal pay as long as they held the same responsibilities in the organization (Work Rights, 2008). For instance, a woman and man who hold the position of managers should have an equal pay as they are assumed to serve equal responsibilities. Secondly, the principle of “equal pay for work of equal value” was meant to rate work by its value in the organization. Whether the job is male or female oriented, the salary should be the same as long as it has equal value in the organization. The two principles were part of the war against female discrimination in the society. The human rights laws were in the frontline to defend the rights of not only women but also the aboriginal members of the society. According to the United Nations (2009), there was need for the global diversity management in a century there was little limitation in movement across geographical boundaries. The UN human right laws articles, human beings should treat one another with dignity and respect and the principle of brotherhood should be evident in all levels. The implication of this statement of this law is that people are equal irrespective of their geographical location. The boundaries of culture, race, gender, age and social difference must not be applied to differentiate people across the world. Another UN human right law that discourages discrimination of aboriginal women states that every person has the right to nationality and that within that nationality one must be treated equal to other natives. This law allows aboriginal women in Ontario to acquire equal rights of treatment as the native women in the employment sector. The main aim of the UN human right laws was to set a standard where women in any country would be treated equally and have a modest lifestyle that is similar to that of fellow countrymen. In this light, UN used a more broad approach to gender and racial inequalities that not only existed in Ontario but in many other nations in the world. The fact that the problem of gender wage gap continues to persist in Ontario points out that the various efforts to solve the crisis have remained futile. Cornish (2009) points out that as the Ontario Equity Act celebrates 20 years of existence, the gender wage gap has reduce only by 8% in Ontario. Evidently, this is an insignificant change and 29% per cent is an alarming difference that needs dedicated attention. On the boundaries of race, aboriginal women continue to wail in poverty as they face the effects of wage discrimination in the employment sector. One reason why these efforts have failed is due to the lack of government and organizational commitment (Boudarbat & Connolly, 2013). For instance, the government in Canada refuse to disburse the equal pay monies that were supposed to close the gender pay gaps by increasing the salaries of women already in the employment sector. Therefore, public organizations have failed to implement the equity act plans due to shortage of funds that are necessary to solve the crisis. This signifies the failure of the government of Canada to commit to the pay equity act. On the other hand, the private organizations have remained adamant to change their wages and improvise gender balanced wages schemes within their organizations (Cheng, 2005). In this light, the proposed strategies of closing the gender wage gaps in Ontario have remained mere paper policies and little has been done to implement them. Therefore, this problem continues to persist and is expected to penetrate deep into the future of the Ontario’s employment sector. The trends in gender wage gap pays points out that there is need for new approach to closing gender gaps. Cornish (2009) provides that one way to close gender pay gaps is to set the human right as a priority, and design strategies to compel organization to comply with the principles of equal pay. Although the equal pay act was an effective plan to reduce female discrimination, it remained a paper plan. To achieve effectiveness, the government should enforce it and play its role and compel the organizations to implement it in the employment sector. For instance, the government should fund its public organization and to facilitate increase in salary for women who already victims of this crisis. To compel the private organization to implement this plan, they should make a follow up to ensure that there is compliance. For instance, the government should open a forum where female employees can express their grievances and present complains on pay related issues. Through this communication channel, the government will learn the problems of women and visit the organizations that fail to implement the Ontario equal pay act. Stern measures should be taken against those organizations that fail to comply with minimum standards demanded by the law. Taking positive action towards the implementation of the labour standards will form be one way of fighting against gender discrimination in Ontario. Secondly, it is crucial for the organization to create awareness among the public by launching campaigns against female discrimination in the employment sector. While the government has put numerous efforts to curb the labour crisis, the public have remained ignorant due to lack of awareness. In this light, it is crucial for all relevant bodies to team up and launch awareness campaigns to sensitize them on their rights in employment. Among the aboriginal groups, low level of education exposes them vulnerable to exploitation as most do not understand their rights in these foreign territories. As such, awareness campaigns empower the public to fight for their rights in the employment sector, which is a critical part of the strategy to fight against women discrimination in the society. The government should be in the front line in the campaign against female discrimination in the employment sector. One way would be to put aside public day to celebrate the equal pay act day and to check the achievements of these policies each year (Armstrong, 1998). Creating awareness in the public provides a realistic approach to empower women and educate them on the need to join in the war against female discrimination. Also, it is crucial for the government to match the salary wages to the growing cost of living in Ontario. In general, the cost of living in Canada has risen by a great percentage making the lives of many people in this society miserable. Particularly, the aboriginal have become the victims of the rising cost of living as their salaries are far much less than those of the native women and by far much less than that of Men. One way of eradicating poverty and closing the wage pay gap is setting up a minimum wage in the employment sector and forcing the employers to comply with them. Over a long time, minimum wage in Ontario has remained fixed at $10.25 despite the increasing cost of living. This strategy will help to set up better an environment where each person can afford basic livelihood and keep up with the changes in the market. Another strategy is providing affordable and accessible child health care to support reduction of the gap between the poor and the rich. In Ontario where majority of women are single mothers, providing affordable education will give every child an opportunity to acquire education among the poor in the society. This approach will reduce poverty among women and support their needs, thus indirectly fighting women discrimination in Canada, Ontario. In conclusion, gender pay gap in Canada, Ontario is a manifestation of the height of female discrimination in the employment sector. Against the principles of pay equity that advocate for each person be treated fairly and as an equal person in spite of their gender, organization in Ontario continue to pay women less than men. Moreover, aboriginal women earn much less as compared to the native women, depicting the difference on the line of race in Ontario. As a result, poverty continues to strike women in the society and the nation’s potential of economic development has been undermined. Although various policies have been developed to fight against female discrimination, it is clear that they have remained paper plans and have had no significant impact on closing the gender wage gap in Ontario. In this light, there is need for intervention measures to eliminate female discrimination once for in Ontario’s employment sector. Viable strategies would be to implement and enforce the labour policy laws within both public and private sectors and to create public awareness to empower women in the struggle against inequality in the employment sector. References Armstrong, H., and Armstrong, P., (1998). Women’s Work in the Labour Force". Creating a Canadian Women’s Sociology, , Vol.8, Issue 1, p275-312. Block, S., (2010). Ontario’s Growing Gap; The Role of Race and Gender. Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives. Boudarbat, B., & Connolly, M. (2013). The gender wage gap among recent post-secondary Graduates in Canada: A distributional approach. The Canadian Journal of Economics, 46(3), 1037. Retrieved from: Cheng, X., 2005. The gender wage gap in the public and private sectors in Canada. University of Saskatchewan. Copyright.  Cool, J., (2010). Canada. Parliamentary Information and Research Service., & Canadian Electronic Library (Firm). Wage gap between women and men. [Ottawa, Ont.]: Library of Parliament.  Cornish, M., (2009). Closing the Gender Pay Gap in Ontario: Securing Justice for Women’s Work. Equal Pay Coalition. Cornish, M., & Faraday, M., (2008). Ontario’s Gender Pay Gaps Cheats Women Workers. The Star. Retrieved from :< http://www.thestar.com/opinion/2008/09/17/ontarios _gender_pay_gap_cheats_women_workers.html> Work Rights, (2008). Human Rights: Pay Equity. Retrieved from: < http://www. workrights.ca/content.php?doc=131> United Nations (2010). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Retrieved from: < http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/> Read More