Please sir, can I have some more? Women are making gains in their paycheques, but they're small, and slow to come

The wage gap between men and women is closing faster than ever. The gap narrowed almost as much in the four years between 1989 and 1992 as it did in the previous 20 years. That sounds good. However, according to Statistics Canada, the actual dollar difference is still large -- more than $11,000 in 1992. So, on average, women working full time were paid $28,350 in 1992, compared with $39,468 for men.

In other words, women working full time got 71.8% of what men did, up from 69.6% the previous year. That's better than the 1989 figure of 65.8% and streets ahead of 1969's 58.7%.

But older, married men were still far ahead of their female counterparts. Married women working full time received 66.6% of what married men did. Widowed, divorced, and separated women got 76.9% of what men made in the same position.

Women over 55 were paid only about 67% of what men the same aged received. Younger women, under 24, did better, getting 93% of what men the same age made.

Higher education is another plus. University - educated women collected 74.2% of what university - educated men did, compared with 67.3% for women who hadn't completed high school.

As recently as 1988, it was reported that women professors remained in low - ranking, low - paying jobs at Canadian universities and actually lost some ground in the previous decade. While women were entering the professions at a more rapid rate than men, they still were a tiny minority in some faculties and lagged behind in earnings.

Statistics Canada points out that even the apparent gains that have been made in the 1990s may be an illusion. Male workers took a bigger hit in the paycheque than women during the recession of the early '90s. Women have caught up because mens" earnings have fallen back. And, some say Statistics Canada figures are not an accurate reflection of how women are doing because the wage - gap calculations do not include part - time workers.

According to the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), participation of women in the workforce declined significantly in 1992 for the first time in a quarter century. During the economic recession many women took part - time jobs and many were pushed out of the workforce completely. The CLC says the participation rate of women in the workforce was 34.5% in 1966 and reached a high of 58.4% in 1990. In 1992, it slid to 57.6%. That includes women of working age with jobs, either full - or part - time. A senior economist with the CLC commented that: "The labour force participation, the quality of jobs, and the earnings of women show a real set - back in terms of greater equality in a labour market."

The National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC) agrees that the situation of women in Canada is worse than official statistics suggest. NAC says the real unemployment rate among women was 20.8% in 1993, not the 11.1% quoted by Statistics Canada. NAC also takes into account women who have dropped out of the workforce and those who are underemployed in piece work and part - time and short - term jobs.

In 1993, women made up more than 63% of the country's part - time workers. One third of them said they were working part time because they couldn't find full - time work.

If all categories of workers -- part - time as well as full - time -- are included, women are paid only 61.5% of what men make, says NAC. It adds that thousands of women are exploited in underground work networks.

On the bright side, the gap continues to narrow even if at a snail's pace. The changes continue to make headlines. People become more aware of wage disparities between women and men and recognize that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

In 1994, a Quebec public opinion survey concluded that pay equity is the best move toward greater equality between men and women. The survey did find that more Quebec men than women thought women have advanced themselves in recent years. But both sexes agreed more work needs to be done because men still control society.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES:

1. In its 1992 study, the International Labour Organization acknowledged the existence of the "glass ceiling," the invisible barrier that keeps women from reaching the top in large corporations. In the United States in 1990, it pointed out that only 19 of 4,102 of the highest - paid officials of the 1,000 largest companies were women -- less than half of 1%. In Japan, Toshiba had only 10 women among its 7,000 managers. Take a look at some local companies to see how many women executives they have.

2. In 1990, the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship said fewer than 4% of Canadian apprentices pursuing trades such as bricklaying or carpentry were women. But it's vital to attract women apprentices to avoid a serious skill shortage as the supply of traditional labourers shrinks through retirement. Poll the girls in your class to find out how many are considering working at a trade, and if not, why not?

Figure not transcribed Consult original publication

HOW SO?

In 1992, female counsellors of battered women in Montreal shelters were shocked to learn they received only about half what men got for counselling violent men -- $12 an hour compared with $22.

The wage gap in Montreal was similar to one found the same month in Nova Scotia between male and female counsellors. Educational requirements were the same for the jobs compared.

A GLOBAL VIEW

The International Labour Organization (ILO) says the gap between men's and women's wages in the world widened considerably during the 1980s, in spite of attempts to narrow the gap. Women in Canada and the United States made some slight gains, but in the developing world women sometimes make less than half of what men do.

In its study, released in 1992, the ILO blames governments. They haven't lived up to their obligations under the ILO's Convention 100, in which more than 100 governments pledged "to remove all obstacles toward women's equality in the workplace."

It also blames men for failing to do a fair share of family work. The ILO report says the unspoken reason for women's inferior status in the workplace is their double burden of child care and housework along with paid work.

When men's work hours were reduced in the Nordic countries, for example, the report says they devoted their extra free time to leisure rather than to pulling their weight around the house.

Copyright Canada and The World Jan 1995
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