Pay Equity

"Statistics Canada 2019 research shows that factors such as education, job tenure, part-time vs. full time work, public vs. private sector work, firm size, unionization rates, occupation, industry, and demographics, can only explain about 30 percent of the gap in Ontario. Seventy percent of the gap remains unexplained.

The unexplained portion of the gap captures two kinds of effects: measurable and unobservable wage-related characteristics.

  • Measurable effects could include total work experience, the higher prevalence of work interruptions among women which are strongly linked to caregiving responsibilities, and field of study which may help to explain the impacts of education level on occupation.

  • Unobservable wage-related characteristics could include gender differences in behaviours (e.g., wage negotiation), societal expectations, constrained choices resulting from gender roles in paid work, as well as the impact of explicit or implicit gender-based wage discrimination.​"


Source: Ontario Pay Equity Office

[underlined by MuseumLabour]


Please note:

We are currently collecting resources on pay equity in Canada.

Please contact us at museumlabour@gmail.com if there is a resource you think should be published on this page.

Find resources for workers and employers, learn where does the Ontario's Pay Equity Act apply, and what you can do to help close the pay gap.

Pay Equity Commission can be reached by email at AskPayEquity@ontario.ca, by phone 1800-387-8813 as well as social media channels.

In this guide, developed by the Ontario Pay Equity Commission, learn more about commonly overlooked features of work performed by women.

If any of these features are the ones you are performing at your job, make sure that a) you include these features in your resume and job description, and b) these features are included in your job performance evaluation.

Learn more about the "intentional invisibility" strategy many professional women employ to help manage workplace biases.

In case you are in a position where you can contribute to creating or writing job ads, use this simple guide for achieving gender neutral language and attract a more diverse pool of candidates. Developed by Ontario Pay Equity Commission.

Federal Pay Equity Act for federally regulated workplaces.