The majority of Quebec women and Canadians are hopeful that the wage gap that still persists between men and women will be eliminated, according to a survey published Wednesday by the Indeed Canada job search web platform.
About 40% of them believe that this milestone will be reached within 10 years, while two-thirds see the finish line in the next 50 years. As part of this survey, 1,543 workers, including 500 Quebecers, answered an online questionnaire of 15 to 17 minutes concocted by the firm YouGov, last January.
Beyond perceptions, where are we headed in concrete terms with respect to pay equity? In Quebec, the average hourly rate for women corresponded to 90.8% of that for men in 2021. This is an increase of 7.4 percentage points since 1998, barely a third of a percentage point year. At this rate, it will still take more than 25 years to reverse the gap.
“It’s a very slow progression,” observes Julie Cloutier, professor in the Department of Organization and Human Resources at UQAM. “I think she will continue for a bit longer. But as long as there are jobs clearly associated with women and prejudices based on gender, we will not have parity,” she continues.
According to Mme Cloutier, the improvement is largely due to the Pay Equity Act of 1996. His point of view agrees with that of 76% of Quebec respondents to the Indeed survey, who see it as an effective measure. The law requires employers to estimate the value of each of their jobs based on four major factors, to ensure that those who are female-dominated are not unfairly disadvantaged. Employers must make a declaration to the CNESST and make salary adjustments if necessary.
Mme Cloutier, however, believes that the requirements of the law are very broad, subjective and permissive. Nothing obliges employers to take into account, in their evaluation, certain requirements specific to predominantly female jobs, such as interpersonal skills, listening skills and empathy.
“We have to look at what prevents us from making progress, and I would go and see the tools we provide to companies to achieve pay equity,” she advises.
Boys club and prejudice
The reflections of Marie-Thérèse Chicha, professor at the School of Industrial Relations of the University of Montreal, join those of Mme Cloutier. She finds that male-dominated jobs are still generally better paid. Mme Chicha calls for a general inquiry providing the concrete results of this law within companies and public bodies.
Several other variables also have a downward influence on women’s wages, notes the economist. They often accumulate less seniority, because they reduce their working hours or have to take time off for family reasons. They work more in SMEs, which would have less ability to pay than large companies. They are also less likely to negotiate their wages than men.
“To access higher jobs, you often have to belong to a boy club, a closed circle of people who know each other and share the same sports, in which women are very few, underlines the professor. And there are also still prejudices that they are not made to run big companies. »
Despite this, M.me Chicha is optimistic. “Today, the vast majority of people are in favor of the principle of pay equity, whereas there was strong reluctance in the past. We changed the context, in a very positive way. »