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April 10, 2025, is Equal Pay Day in Canada, highlighting how far into the year women must work to earn what men did the year before, on average.
That’s more than three months of extra work for the same pay. And for many women, especially Indigenous, Black, racialized, 2SLGBTQ+, immigrant women, and women with disabilities, that gap is even wider.
There are various methods to measure the wage gap, but regardless of how it's measured, the gap remains. Our fight for equal pay is about fairness, dignity, and respect for the work women do every single day.
Women are still paid less than men in nearly every sector. On average, women in Canada are paid about 88 cents for every dollar a man makes. But that average hides deeper injustices:
- Indigenous and Black women in Ontario earn 58 cents for every dollar a white man makes.
- Women with disabilities? 57 cents.
- South Asian women? 55 cents.
When women and women’s work is underpaid, they have less economic security, fewer choices, and more stress. It means struggling to cover rent, put food on the table, save for retirement, or leave unsafe relationships.
When women make less, families and communities lose out on spending power. At this critical time of uncertainty when we are doing everything we can to protect our jobs and economy, fixing the wage gap should be high on the list.
The reasons behind this gap are no accident:
- Women are streamed into lower-paid jobs—care work, retail, cleaning—that are undervalued and underpaid.
- Many women work part-time or precarious jobs because they’re also caring for kids, parents, or others.
- Discrimination and bias still play a big role, especially for racialized and women with disabilities.
Equal Pay Day is a call to organize and demand change. We demand stronger laws with real teeth to enforce pay transparency and equity.
We will bargain strong collective agreements that close the wage gap and lift up low-paid jobs.
We will defend $10-a-Day child care and paid leave so women don’t have to choose between care and a career.
We will win by centering the voices of women most impacted—especially Indigenous, Black, racialized, migrant, and disabled women.
Unions, governments, and employers all have a role to play—but we as workers must use our collective power. When we stand together, we raise the floor for everyone.
Let’s make Equal Pay Day not just a reminder—but a turning point. Because when women are paid fairly, everyone benefits.
