The Honorable Members of Parliament Dear Ms. I am writing to express my concerns about the gender pay gap in Canada. Sociology student at the Humber. According to Abedi (2020) girls who graduate from their higher education institutions immediately come face to face with gender inequality in relation to wages, and this only gets worse over the years. If we turn to statistics, the next year after graduating from high school, women earn 12 percent less per year than men. But due to the fact that this gap between wages is growing all the time over the next five years, it is approximately 25 percent when translated into dollars it is 17 thousand dollars (Abedi, 2020). This difference between wages causes significant harm to women since with this money, women could live at the same financial level as men, and thus there would be no infringement of women's rights and opportunities. ADP Canada Co (2021) reported that due to the difference between salaries and the appearance of the pandemic, women suffer mentally and physically since all work with children is in their hands due to the fact that educational institutions are not working. Women who stay at home with children and try to combine work moments and look after children at the same time have a high level of stress that affects their mental health, which is about 20 percent more than men, namely 50 percent of women complain about it. The next fact about the wage gap between women and men is when a couple wants to have a child, the financial situation of a woman suffers from this, but not a man (McMahon, 2014). At the birth of a child, a woman must go on maternity leave in order to provide attention, care, and a good start for the child, but at the same time, she loses her job and wages, which were already not on par with men. Moreover, after the end of the maternity leave, companies often further reduce the wages of women for the so-called "punishment for motherhood," but men do not have any financial reductions, although they are also parents and raise children. From the Pay Equity Commission (2021) article on the gender wage gap. The gender wage gap occurs when women: choose or need to leave and re-enter the workforce in order to meet family care-giving responsibilities, resulting in a loss of seniority, advancement opportunities and wages or because they are more likely than men to work part-time due to these responsibilities; encounter occupational segregation in historically undervalued and low-paying jobs, such as childcare and clerical work, where female-dominated jobs are valued less even when they involve the same (or greater) skills; were historically considered to have lower levels of education. This is becoming less of a factor as more women graduate from all levels of education, although the gender wage gap exists even for women with higher levels of education; are less likely to work in unionized environments; are often underrepresented in leadership positions; encounter discrimination or 'unconscious bias' in the hiring, promotion and compensation practices of their workplace. Since the government of Canada is trying to close this gap, I can recommend several ideas for narrowing this gap and then completely take it away. Referring to the article UFCW (2021) will help enact "Legislation on Pay Transparency," "Increasing Minimum Wages," and "Ensuring and Expanding Pay Equity." These ideas will eliminate this inequality. I am sincerely glad that they are not trying to simply hide this problem, but are making great efforts to solve it since Canada is not a country where someone has the right to infringe upon someone's rights. Canada was built on honest values and compassion, and we must continue to do so. Please contact me at the above address with your comments or additional information. Sincerely, References Abedi, M. (2020, January 17). Women earn less than men in Canada right after graduation - then it gets worse. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/6409280/earnings-gap-canada-menwomen/. ADP Canada Co. (2021, March 8). Workplace Gender Gap Hits Home: ADP Canada Survey. Cision Canada. https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/workplace-gender-gap-hits-home-adpcanada-survey-833528777.html. CanadianWomen. (2021, February 3). The Gender Pay Gap: Wage Gap in Canada: The Facts. Canadian Women's Foundation. https://canadianwomen.org/the-facts/the-gender-pay-gap/. McMahon , T. (2014, January 20). Is maternity leave a bad idea? Macleans.ca. https://www.macleans.ca/society/life/is-maternity-leave-a-bad-ideathe-motherhood-gap/. PayEquityCommission. (2021). What is the Gender Wage Gap? What is the Gender Wage Gap? | Pay Equity Commission.http://www.payequity.gov.on.ca/en/GWG/Pages/what_is_GWG.aspx. Pelletier, R., Patterson, M., & Moyer, M. (2019, October 7). This study examines the evolution of the gender wage gap in Canada from 1998 to 2018 among employees aged 25 to 54. The gender wage gap in Canada: 1998 to 2018. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-004-m/75-004m2019004-eng.htm. UFCW. (2021). Help close the Gender Wage Gap today. UFCW Canada - Canada's Private Sector Union. http://www.ufcw.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31168&Itemid=2284 &lang=en.
