8 of March is International Women’s Day. A day set aside every year to recognize the important contributions women have made to society, the workplace, and the home. Additionally, this day raises awareness of the challenges and struggles of women. Especially immigrants, continue to face worldwide, including the persistent wage gap for women. This day is a chance to highlight Canada’s efforts to close the wage gap for immigrant women and promote gender equality.
As part of its broader commitment to building a more inclusive and diverse society. Canada is committed to advancing the economic security of immigrant women.
Known for its progressive laws on human rights and devotion to equality, Canada prides itself on being a progressive nation. The employment representation of women, particularly newcomer women, remains disparate. Despite the fact that women in Canada generally enjoy the same rights and liberties as men.
Immigrant women are employed in Canada
A report from Statistics Canada indicates that, as of 2022, there were 4,200,630 women working in Canada who had immigrated there. A total of 2.9 million of these women belong to visible minority groups, while 1.3 million do not. Over the past decade, immigrants have contributed nearly 100% to the growth of the Canadian labor force. As well as 75% of the growth of the Canadian population.
The national workforce participation rate for women has reached 83%, according to Statistics Canada. Compared to 1976, when only half of Canada’s women worked outside the home. This is a substantial increase of over 30%. 91.5% of men participate in the labor market today.
Challenges faced by immigrant women in Canada’s labor market
Data from the Labor Force Survey for January to June 2021 indicate that recent immigrant women have an unemployment rate of 15.2%. While Canadian-born women have an unemployment rate of 8.0%. In addition, immigrant women who work are disproportionately employed in sectors with lower pay rates, particularly those who are racialized.
Newcomer women belonging to racialized groups are more likely to work in low-wage industries. Such as accommodation, food services, and hospitality, which were severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an IRCC report from last year. These industries are a major source of income for many immigrants in Canada. And they were affected significantly by the pandemic. An 11% decline in median entry wages for immigrant women between 2019 and 2020 is reflected in the dropping of the median wage from $26,100 to $23,200 between the two years.
Moreover, a recent study examined immigration and the participation of immigrant women in executive positions. As well as found that only one in four executive positions was held by women. Also, just one in seven by immigrant women. In this study, a four-fold increase in executive positions was observed among immigrant women born in the United States or the United Kingdom compared to those born in other countries.
Additionally, immigrants also faced the steepest gender pay gap (29%), as immigrant women had the lowest median salary at $241,900 compared to Canadian-born executives.
Most immigrant women are sponsored by their families when they enter the country
1,215,200 women immigrated to Canada through economic immigration programs in 2022 as secondary applicants, spouses, partners, or dependents of those who applied. Family sponsorships resulted in an additional 1,194,685 people entering the country.
According to the Canadian Immigration Statistics, there were 620,885 women among all economic primary applicants in 2015. Programs for economic immigration aim to attract applicants with in-demand skills and qualifications who can integrate quickly and contribute positively to the economy. The scheme admitted nearly 930,000 men while allowing for only about 220,000 women.
Women who immigrated through family class sponsorship programs (who are more likely to be married or in common law relationships) have a full-time employment rate of 66%. It is lower than the rate observed for Canadian-born women, who have a full-time employment rate of 70%.
The Canadian pay gap for women
Despite the fact that Canadian women have been working since the First World War, or over 100 years ago. There is still a wage gap between them and their male counterparts. A study by the Canadian Women’s Foundation found that Canadian women earn 89 cents for every dollar made by males. The disparity fell by 4.7% for immigrants who had been in the nation for more than five years.
New and recent immigrants earned nearly 20% less per week than Canadian-born women based on Statistics Canada data from 2019. Immigrants who have lived in the country for longer than five years saw a decrease of 4.7% in the difference.
Statistically, the number of women receiving income benefits declines after they earn more than $60,000 per year. While the number of men receiving benefits increases. Women and men in Canada, for example, report having individual incomes over $100,000 after taxes. With 487,185 women and 1,109,610 men reporting having such incomes.
Canada’s efforts to close the wage gap for immigrant women
It applies only to federally regulated workplaces, and addresses the wage gap, and guarantees equitable pay for women. The Pay Equity Act was first introduced in August 2021. The act aims to eliminate pay discrepancies among women and ensure fair compensation. Women working in federally regulated workplaces are the only ones who will benefit from this new legislation passed to reduce the gender pay gap.
Some provinces have put the Equal Pay Act in place to ensure women are paid equally. Several provinces prohibit pay discrimination based on gender, including British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. As well, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Yukon, Newfoundland, and the Northwest Territories have legislation. They mandate equal pay and benefits for similar jobs.
The government has allocated approximately $6 million to the Racialized Newcomer Women Pilot Program in response to lower wages for color-blind immigrant women. Participants of the pilot program have access to settlement services. It facilitates the development of soft skills, such as resume development, that can help them land jobs. The majority of the funding, however, supports efforts aimed at preventing gender-based violence.
