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Gender Wage Disparity In Canada

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In spite of the work and legislation behind the Pay Equity and Equal Pay for Equal Work commission, a gender wage gap persists (Canadian Women, 2017:1-4). According to Statistics Canada, the main causes of gender wage disparity since 2010 (Statistics Canada, 2017: 16) include the differences in hours actually worked (as 75% of those that work part-time are women), women’s greater responsibility for caregiving, women’s educational and career choices as a result of socialization, and discrimination, stereotypes and societal norms probably account for remaining and persistent 7% (Bredtmann & Otten, 2014: 303-304).

This demonstrates the relevance of occupational segregation, as men are more likely than women to major in business or in STEM fields …show more content…
As a consequence of economic discrimination, women are said to “incur substantial economic losses” in their lifetime which influences them systematically and further ingrains inequality (Cornish, 2016: 6). The persistence of the wage gap itself is said to be unchanged over several decades as a result of complacency and tolerance (Auspurg, et al., 2017: 202). The success of gender inequality is dependent upon patriarchal structures and lack of resistance, therefore current organizational frameworks lead women to internalize the acceptance of financial disparity (Auspurg, et al., 2017: 203). Socialization cajoles women into undervaluing their own labour and contributes to the vicious cycle of inequality (Coulter, et al., 2016: 2) Women need to be aware of the economic injustice they are subjected to and challenge, rather than accept, current assumptions of gender roles and women’s position in the workplace (Reid, 1998: …show more content…
Our aim is to inspire women currently at university challenge systems of gender socialization and question the status quo (Beyer, 2016: 374). Further, we want to motivate women to confront corporations and organizations that they may work for in the future and seek pay equal to their male counterparts. Our initiative works to influence women positively as they make decisions about their futures. It is evident that those who may benefit from systems of wage inequality, men may rationalize gender socialization and occupational segregation (Buchanan, 2014: 205). This is why we also want to reach young adult males in hopes of educating them on the topic and how they can help women combat the systemic imbalance of the pay

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