Maclean’s covers offered two a visual representation of what the pay gap looks like for men and women.  In Canada, the pay equity gap can range from eight per cent to as high as 50 per cent, which means that women consistently have to do more with less.

Women in Alberta face some of the largest gender pay gaps in Canada, where women can expect to earn 66 per cent of what men take home. Women disproportionally bear unpaid work such as childcare, family and household duties which impact their hours and availability for paid employment. This means women are more likely to work in temporary, contract, part-time or unstable jobs to make ends meet.

Calgary also ranks as the fourth worst place to be a woman in Canada and one of the contributing factors to our city’s low score was our gender pay gap and the lack of women in leadership positions. Calgary falls to nearly bottom of the pack when it comes to women in leadership, where women only make up 30 per cent of elected posts and only 32 per cent hold management jobs.

We know that the face of poverty in Canada (and abroad) is a woman’s face. Wages in traditionally male-dominated sectors are higher than in roles which are seen to be “women’s work.” With the World Economic Forum’s 2017 Global Gender Gap Report findings telling us that if we continue on our current path, gender parity is over 200 years away – it makes sense that the theme for 2018’s International Women’s Day is #PressforProgress.

There has never been a more critical time to speak up and out to create equity and a bright future for women and girls. We need to help women break through the glass-ceiling; we need to continue to support women to speak out in a way that is supportive and respectful to help build gender equity and create a brighter future for women and girls. Which is why we are thrilled to partner with Benevity for a gift-matching opportunity as we lead up to International Women’s Day and our 5th annual CELEBRATE event.

Triple your impact on International Women’s Day with Benevity! For every $1 donated to YW, Benevity will match by $2. Help women gain the skills they need to find meaningful employment.

Donate today and help YW support women to thrive.