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Writer's pictureJonathan McCormick

RACIAL & GENDER WAGE GAP

Updated: Jun 11, 2021


"BIG IDEAS COME FROM FOWARD THINKING PEOPLE WHO CHALLENGE THE NORM, RATHER THAN SUBMITTING TO THE LIMITATIONS OF CURRENT DILEMMAS.


"THE LIMITS OF THE POSSIBLE CAN ONLY BE DEFINED BY GOING BEYOND THEM INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE" ARTHUR C. CLARKE


WHY?


"Canadian-born individuals of Latin American ancestry earned, on average, 31.7 per cent less than their Caucasian peers."


WHY?


Canadian born Black individuals "earned about 80.4 cents for every dollar earned by their Caucasian peers."


This is what we can not comprehend. When some companies hire a person, they believe that the job requires both a penis & white skin?



A couple ordering food from a Menu

The following data is from the Canadian Conference Board.


In Canada, university-educated Canadian-born members of a visible minority earn, on average, 87.4 cents for every dollar earned by their Caucasian peers.

The Atlantic provinces have the smallest gaps in earnings between visible minorities and Caucasians, ranging from 7.3 per cent in Nova Scotia to 12.9 per cent in New Brunswick.


The gap in earnings among Canadian-born individuals of different ethnic ancestry varies, individuals of Japanese ancestry earned 3.7 per cent more than their Caucasian peers, whereas individuals of Latin American ancestry earned, on average, 31.7 per cent less than their Caucasian peers.

Putting the racial wage gap in context

Canada is one of the most racially diverse countries in the world, home to over 6.2 million people who identified themselves as a member of a visible minority group. Of these, 30.9 per cent (over 1.9 million people) were born in Canada. To date, the three largest visible minority groups in Canada are South Asian, Chinese, and Black.

South Asians (individuals who reported East Indian, Pakistani, or Sri Lankan ethnic ancestry) accounted for 25 per cent of the total visible minority population and 4.8 per cent of Canada’s total population. Individuals of Chinese ancestry made up over 21 per cent of the total visible minority population and 4 percent of the total population. Individuals who identified as Black (either alone or with other ancestral origins, such as Jamaican, Haitian, Trinidadian/Tobagonian, or Somali) made up over 15 per cent of the total visible minority population and 2.9 per cent of the total population.



People in a conversation

Finding ways to reduce the gap in earnings for visible minorities is important. Not only does this gap contribute to the racialized experience of poverty, but it also creates marginalization, vulnerability, and social alienation in the workforce and for communities of racialized Canadians.


Our appreciation to the Conference Board of Canada https://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/provincial/society/racial-gap.aspx


Statistics accurate as of 2017


America, have they addressed the racial and gender wage gap in a more progressive manner?


The Census Bureau for 2018 reveals that, "women of all races earned 82 cents for every $1.00 by men of all races.

The gap is more significant for women of color.

White women=79 cents

Black=62 cents

Latina=54 cents

Native American=57 cents

In addition to the wage gap, "only 19% of civilian workers had access to paid family leave through their employer and only 40% had access to short-term disability."


The Center for American Progress summarizes with the fact that post-secondary school enrolment is 55% female for undergraduates and 60% for graduates.

The Center predicts that unionization and education will narrow the gap. The question is When? In the last decade the gendre wage gap has closed by 4 cents.



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