March 29, 2024

BY RACHEL ROYPromoRachelRoyHS

The last thing you want to worry about after you come home after a long day at work, is if you’ll be able to pay your bills this month.

Working is always going to guarantee that you get paid, but if you’re a female, your paycheque may be less then what you expected.

Because of the speech by actress Patricia Arquette at the Oscars Feb, 22, this issue is once again front and centre.

Women in the crowd all applauded and the video has gone viral.

It isn’t a secret that women are treated unfairly in the workforce. Although it is much better than it used to be, it still has a long way to go.

In Ontario alone, Statistics Canada data (2011) shows that the gender wage gap is 26 per cent for a full-time employee. This means that for every $1 earned by a male employee, a female employee is only making 74 cents.

This is frustrating and unjust, and leads many to think we need more female leaders in government.

In 1987 the Pay Equity Act, equal pay for work of equal value, was passed. That year the gender wage gap was at 36 per cent; it has been slowly decreasing ever since. However, that is not good enough.

There are many reasons why women make less money than men such as women needing to leave work due to family, lower levels of education, discrimination in hiring, and only being offered undervalued and low-paying jobs.

Statisticians estimate that 10 to 15 per cent of the gender wage gap is due to discrimination.

Women have a right to work alongside men whether it is in politics, trades, productions or education. We have a right to be independent and financially stable.

According to Stats Canada, in 2008 there were 70,226 divorces in Canada. This left thousands of women to fend for themselves financially.

This is one more reason why women must be paid equally. But, looking at the bigger picture, women deserve it.

As Arquette said, “It’s our time to have wage equality once and for all.”

 

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