The wage gap between men and women — an almost 30-per-cent-wide canyon in Ontario — could be bridged based on recommendations made Thursday in a final report from the government’s committee on pay parity.

What the Liberals’ Gender Wage Gap Steering Committee unearthed during public consultations last winter was that structural and cultural cracks in the workforce have left one-half of the population trailing.

That Canadian women on average make 74 cents for every $1 earned by men, or that the gap is more pronounced for women of colour is hardly new information. But the committee’s report makes 20 recommendations for policy and legislative reform that, if adopted by the province, could lessen the disparity.

Child and elder care options, for instance, were found wanting. Industries and occupations traditionally dominated by women were reported as being undervalued when weighted against the work typically performed by men. Also, gender bias and discrimination, whether intentional or otherwise, is rife among the proverbial watercoolers, and has prevented some women from fulfilling their economic potential, the report noted.

"The government should immediately commit to developing an early child care system within a defined time frame. The system should provide care that is: high quality, affordable, accessible, publicly funded and geared to income, with sufficient spaces to meet the needs of Ontario families," the report added.

Of particular concern is that women pay a “motherhood penalty” because they are not able to meet responsibilities at home and on the job, both of which traditionally fall to her shoulders. As such, the report suggests more generous and flexible parental leave (read: maternal and paternal) would alleviate the burden.

Provisions such as upping the minimum wage, creating a pathway from precarious to full-time work, easing the unionization and extending equal pay for equal work (all of which are soon-to-be-reformed via the Changing Workplaces Review) would even the playing field. Ditto paid personal leaves.

The Ontario Women’s Directorate was also called upon by the Equal Pay Coalition to apply a gender lens to legislation like the budget. Lawyer Mary Cornish, who made submissions on the coalition’s behalf, said she was disappointed the report did not make more recommendations and that few were obligatory.

“We don’t think what the committee said is the whole story, so that’s the first problem,” Cornish said in an interview. “This is such a systematic problem that you need to come up with a broader set of recommendations.”

Cornish added the province has failed to flesh out a comprehensive strategy or timeline. In its submission, the coalition charted a plan to whittle the pay gap to zero per cent by 2025.

“You would work on that with government, business, community and advocacy groups, but doing that within a framework that it was mandatory to get there,” she explained.

Anna Beninger, director of research for Catalyst, which also provided feedback, said the report was a good first step but it remains to be seen whether it elicits meaningful reform.

"The recommendations address many of the root causes behind the gender wage gap. However, additional actions are needed to level the playing field, including increasing women's access to senior level leaders who can sponsor women and tap them for 'hot jobs' — critical on-the-job development opportunities that accelerate advancement and compensation growth. Until women get equal access to opportunities in the workplace, other changes to close the gender gap will not be sustainable," Beninger said in an email.

Labour Minister Kevin Flynn and Tracy MacCharles, the minister responsible for women’s issues, said in a joint statement they will immediately start to work on an implementation plan based on the committee’s report.

“Building on the progress we’ve already made, we know we can take action to improve women's economic opportunities and break down barriers that prevent full participation by women in the labour force,” Flynn said in the statement. “This report will help us do just that. When we create the opportunity for women to have economic security, we create prosperity for all workers and their families.”

Echoed MacCharles: “Despite our participation in all parts of the workforce, there are still barriers that prevent women from achieving their economic potential. That negatively affects Ontario’s prosperity. When we are all treated equitably, we all benefit."

Ontario has been pushing the gap closer of late. That includes a plan to make Ontario Public Service incomes publicly searchable by gender, beefing up anti-discrimination and harassment training and reporting policies for employers, and requiring that women comprise 40 per cent of provincial boards and agencies by 2019. This week, Associate Minister Indira Naidoo-Harris was swapped out of her provincial pension plan file (now defunct) for the early years and child care portfolio, where she'll co-ordinate with the federal government on an inclusive child care system (though details are scant).

The benefits will span beyond just social ones — the Royal Bank of Canada estimates that personal incomes would be $168 billion higher each year if women were on par with men in the labour force, according to a government release. And consultation begets more consultation, as the committee proposed regular reviews by a wage strategy working group. It will be headed up by the labour and women’s issues ministers, and include business, labour, HR professionals and equality advocates.

According to Cornish’s April report for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, an Ontario woman employed full-time would have to work an extra three-and-a-half months out of the year in order to match the paycheque earned by a man — that is, it would take her nearly 16 months to earn what he did in 12.

When Ontario passed the Pay Equity Act in 1987, the wage gap was 36 per cent.

To contact the reporter on this story:
snanji@qpbriefing.com
416-212-5789

Gender pay gap report recommends doing away with ‘motherhood penalty’

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