Women still earn less than men for same work, census says; Sizable pay gap persists and widens with age, despite rise in women's education levels
Vancouver Sun - Canwest News Service
May 2, 2008 
By: Meagan Fitzpatrick

OTTAWA -- Young women heading into the workforce be warned: you may think it's an even playing field when you get there but be prepared to earn less than the men from your graduating class and in the cubicles next to you.

That's one of the messages Fran Donaldson, president of the Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women, says should be drawn from 2006 census data released Thursday on income and earnings.

The Statistics Canada report showed that the gap in earnings between men and women is still a sizable one….

"The first thing I'd like them to do is understand that it's not as even a playing field as it might appear to be at the beginning," Donaldson said. Leaving the workplace temporarily to have a baby is one reason why women can get knocked off an equal footing, but there are many other factors at play, she says.

Unwelcoming environments and sexist attitudes still permeate some workplaces and women are held back, despite their education, qualifications and experience, because they are still not considered by their superiors to be "leadership material," according to Donaldson.

Be assertive, don't settle for less and be on alert for gender bias in the workplace, is her advice to young women. Women can't close the gap on their own, however, Donaldson says. More forward-thinking men in positions of authority who recognize and accept the differences between men and women in the workplace are also needed. Affordable and accessible child care for families would also help more women advance, she added….

Donaldson said promoting women in the workplace and closing the gender pay gap would benefit society in general because of the economic spinoffs.

"It's not just a mater of social justice, it's a matter of plain economics," she said. "If women were making more money, they would be spending more money and everyone would benefit."