#DYK “Understanding the #GenderPensionGap in Canada is a report that examines the roots of the gender pension gap, providing a detailed look at how Canada’s retirement income instruments operate to convert gender wage gaps and gendered hours of paid work into lower pensions for women.
Thank you to CP24 for highlighting this important report.
Commissioner Kadie Ward was pleased to attend the 2023 HR Summit, Annual Meeting and Tradeshow hosted by Human Resources Professionals Association to speak about the structural bias in the labour market as well as effective approaches for identifying and tackling implicit biases to drive better diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) outcomes in workplaces.
Delivering better DEI outcomes is a priority for HR professionals. DEI has been a “trend” within HR practice for many years. How did we get here? Why is bias so difficult to tackle? What interventions actually work? It’s going to take more than “re-writing the playbook” to correct the structural biases in the labour market. Implicit or hidden biases are automatic and unconscious tendencies that can perpetuate inequity and injustice in the labour market. Many well-intentioned and commonly used programs and interventions to reduce implicit bias have been ineffective at bringing about meaningful change.
Commissioner Ward kicked off the 24th Annual Young Women’s Conference with Skills Ontario and partners to build momentum for young women in trades and tech. It is estimated that only one in ten apprentices are female and most young women dismiss the trades as a career path because of the traditional perception that trades are for men. Speaking to the full room at the Toronto Congress Centre, Commissioner Ward encouraged the grade 6 to 12 students to consider the range of opportunities and choose what is best for them. A career in the trades provides long term opportunities and secure work in a rewarding career in a range of industries.
Skills Ontario and its partners host Young Women’s Career Exploration Events at locations across Ontario that bring education, hands-on experience, and mentorship together, ultimately making the connection to successful career opportunities in the skilled trades and technology sectors. The Skills Ontario Young Women’s Conferences are the largest young women’s conferences in Canada, attracting over 2,000 young women from across Ontario to attend.
Commissioner Ward joined CanWCC with Janelle Benjamin the Founder & Chief Equity Officer of All Things Equitable Inc. , and and Allison Venditti, Founder of Moms at Work to discuss strategies for promoting equal pay, increasing access to capital, and and how pay equity impacts women-identifying entrepreneurs.
The impact of the gender wage gap on entrepreneurship makes it more difficult for women-identifying business owners to access the capital they need to start and grow their businesses. As the gender wage gap contributes to devaluing women’s work overall, women-identifying entrepreneurs earn, on average, 58% less than male entrepreneurs.
Moderated by Nancy Wilson, Founder and CEO of CanWCC, the panel explored:
The wage gap significantly impacts the economy and entrepreneurship for women-identifying business owners. Women make up half of the population and the labour force, and their economic contributions are essential to Canada’s economy. When women are paid less than men, it not only affects their personal financial well-being but also has a ripple effect on the economy as a whole.
Cutting across gender, race, and class while drawing from her own experiences, Kadie Ward, Commissioner and CAO of Ontario’s Pay Equity Commission, confronts the stereotypes about women at work.
Through an exploration of history, culture and workplace practices, Commissioner Ward demonstrated how gender “norms” were constructed and how they persist today. This insightful talk digs deeper into the meaning of “women’s worth” and the tools needed to question the status quo to define our relationships with work, family, and our communities.
Attendees developed a fresh perspective on the complexity of today’s social norms, explored the implications of reducing the gender wage gap and the value of all women, and were empowered to advance all women across their organization.
The Czech Republic, together with the European Commission and Costa Rica as co-sponsors, organized a side-event at the 67th UN CSW to discuss pay transparency in the context of the digital age. Participants filled the room to its maximum to attend the event entitled “New Opportunities to Reduce the Gender Pay Gap in the Digital Age: the EU Pay Transparency Directive, National Legislation Examples, and Further Good Practices Globally”, which dealt with good practices on the national (and other) levels.
The side event was opened by a presentation of the success of the Czech presidency of the European Council. Towards the end of 2022, a consensus was reached by all trilogue parties on the new pay transparency legislation “DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL to strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women through pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms”. The new EU law will empower women to enforce the principle of equal pay for equal work through a set of binding measures on pay transparency.
The plenum was also full of representatives of very interesting initiatives to reduce gender pay gap at all levels in many countries around the world. Among the great remarks was another very inspiring good practice came from Ontario, Canada in the presentation by Ms. Kadie Ward, Commissioner and Chief Administrative Officer, Pay Equity Commission of Ontario, and contributor to The Equal Pay International Coalition, ILO. Its specific added-value is based on the history of the legal provision in Ontario, its long-term nature that allows for analyses and measurement of efficiency, and its wealth of collected experience with the value of work systems.
The event was closed by a statement of consensus that a lot of good legislation has been discussed and, while it is extremely important to have strong and sound legal provisions, it all may not be enough to make a real change happen. It has to go hand in hand with education, awareness raising, and understanding the social processes that cause the problem in the first place.
The Parliament’s plenary showed strong support of the legislation across the board by 427 votes to 79 against and 76 abstentions to adopt the pay transparency directive, including pay structures to compare pay levels will have to be based on gender-neutral criteria and include gender-neutral job evaluation and classification systems. Vacancy notices and job titles will have to be gender neutral and recruitment processes led in a non-discriminatory manner.
Here is further information, in case of your interest: Gender pay gap: Parliament adopts new rules on binding pay-transparency measures | News | European Parliament (europa.eu)
Business leaders, including Commissioner Ward, gathered to have a roundtable discussion on the progress of gender inclusion and parity in the workplace, particularly women in STEM and how to attract and retain diverse talent. After decades of mixed results, there is a growing awareness of the need to move beyond the basics and take bold steps to effect change. What actions and ideas will finally close the gender gap?
Canada’s tech sector and industries such as financial services and manufacturing are striving to attract and retain more women in fields such as cybersecurity, data analytics, engineering and IT. Men are four times as likely as women to work in the tech sector, according to a 2019 report by Brookfield Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The stat is concerning given the rapid pace of digital and technology-related job growth due in part to the pandemic. This Idea Exchange will bring women in technology and STEM together to share their views and insights for a more representative workforce.
Women have been undervalued in the workplace for almost a century and a half. On this edition of the Leader Talks with Anne-Marie Pham podcast, we are recognizing tomorrow’s International Women’s Day with the incredible Kadie Ward, MBA to discuss gender inequality in the workplace.
This episode is packed with some amazing insights into how women have been undervalued in work over the years, why legislation is essential in closing the gender wage gap, how gender diversity, equity, and inclusion create economic prosperity, and so much more!
Commissioner Ward also shared some tools for how to make a difference in these issues and tells us how we can play a role in her vision for an inclusive Canada.
To hear all this and more, tune in now! Available at your preferred podcast platform now or visit the link: https://hubs.la/Q01FBWFD0.
Commissioner Ward attended the 67th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) to discuss bringing women and other marginalized groups into technology. Adding diverse voices to this growing sector results in more creative solutions and has greater potential for innovations that meet women’s needs and promote gender equality.
Commissioner Ward was excited to join Sara Bentham and Dior Sarr to speak with Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO) on the barriers facing working women and the importance of closing the gender wage gap.
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