At a time when the government is announcing a bill on pay equity to reduce the gaps between the genders, what is clear is that in fact equality in this area is still far from being achieved.
35% to 44% less for women on hourly wages and bonuses 64% to 72% lower at the Royal Bank of Canada, Scotiabank and Toronto Dominion, 10% lower salary and 56% lower bonuses at BlueBay Asset Management, salaries 25% less attractive and bonuses 55% lower at WSP Global… Canadian companies still have work to do in terms of pay equity, according to a study on pay gaps published in the United Kingdom.
Explanations
According to the companies concerned, including RBC, these gaps are not necessarily due to the fact that women are paid less than men for the same function, but rather that women in the company do not hold positions as senior or highly placed in the hierarchy as men. So for example, they are in the great minority among stockbrokers, who get higher compensation. Companies that find themselves in this situation admit that they need to make efforts to make these roles more attractive in the eyes of traditionally under-represented people and thus increase their diversity.
Good students
Some companies are doing better than others. This is the case with Cott Beverages and Bombardier Transportation. For the latter, the Rail branch only has a 2.8% gap and compensates them by paying women a 14% higher bonus.