Canada’s women immigrants have shown growth in the GWG study. The Gender Wage Gap study consists of all the women in Canada with their Canadian citizenship or immigration status. GWG indicates the distinction of hourly incomes between men and women born in Canada. These are men and women who have similar work roles. Furthermore, this study comprises immigrant men and women for the wage comparison. To calculate the GWG, Statistics Canada considered the differences between full-time and part-time wages. However, these differences rely on the wage allocation. This includes the positions based on lower-income to high-income. It even includes female immigrants who either arrived in Canada as a child or as an adult.
Canada’s women immigrants have shown growth in the GWG study
On the whole, women immigrants who arrived in Canada when they were kids managed to bridge the gap with men born in Canada. This can be seen from 14.7 percent in 2007 to 10.5 percent in 2022. Immigrant women who came to Canada as adults bridged their gap with men born in Canada. This is evident from the percentages, 27.4 percent in 2007 to 20.9 percent in 2002.
Women born in Canada showed a 9.2 percent gap compared to men born in Canada in 2022. This implies a reduction of 15 percent in 2007.
Immigrant men nearly removed the Gender Wage Gap with those born in Canada.
Allocation of low and high wages
Those women immigrants working in lower job roles per the wage allocation showed progress in GWG’s closure. Also, those having an increased hourly wage allocation showed no growth in the GWG since 2007.
For instance, adult women immigrants who arrived in Canada with a lower wage allocation decreased their wage gap by 13.7 percentage points. This indicates a decline of 20 percent in 2007 to 6.3 percent in 2022.
However, those who fell under the higher wage allocation witnessed no growth between 2007 and 2022. Further, they remained firm at 20.1 percent. Women immigrants who arrived in Canada as children witnessed a gap of 11.3 percent, all of whom worked in higher pay distributions.
Age is also an influencing factor in the Gender Wage Gap. Further, the study reveals an enhancement for women immigrants between 25 and 29 years who arrived in Canada as adults. There has been a difference from 30.5 percent in 2007 to 12 percent in 2022.
The status of women immigrants in the Canadian workforce
The Labor Force Survey by Statistics Canada reveals that 26.1 percent of immigrant women who came to Canada as adults had professional jobs.
Typically, the Canadian labor force has overrepresented racialized women in lower-scale job positions. This particularly consists of Accommodation and Food Services or Hospitality.
The August 2023 data concerning the Labor Force Survey indicates that 6.2 percent of women workers had more jobs than men. The percentage of men was 4.7 percent. The percentage of women workers is also more than the immigrants in Canada within 10 years, standing at 6.9 percent. Essentially, this indicates that those with multiple work opportunities are among the women immigrants who have recently arrived in Canada.
Women have fewer chances of being the principal applicants
The 2022 data reveals that 1,215,200 women immigrants in Canada emerged as secondary applicants under the economic-class programs for immigration. Furthermore, this makes it evident that they are related to the principal applicants of Canadian immigration as a spouse, dependent, or partner. This means the principal applicant must have applied via Express Entry or an economic immigration program.
Additionally, 1,195,685 women immigrants came to Canada using the Family Class Sponsorship. According to Statistics Canada, immigrant women who arrive as secondary applicants must undergo several challenges. This implies that these women find it harder to search for jobs due to their language skills. They also find it difficult to attain recognition for their education, skills, or experience.
Reportedly, these women also undergo gender-based challenges, including labor market discrimination and the family’s gender division of labor.
A September 2022 report stated that 45 percent of women immigrants worked full-time jobs. They emerged to be related to couples with children aged between 1 to 5 years. At the same time, 64 percent of women born in Canada had full-time employment who were seen to be in similar circumstances.
Canadian government significantly contributed more than $27 billion in the forthcoming five years as part of the 2021 budget. This initiative removed the gender burden among women, including childcare. The primary objective was to develop a national advanced learning and childcare system in collaboration with Canadian provinces or territories.
Reportedly, TD Economics revealed last year in June that the women’s labor force participation percentage with kids below six underwent an increase of 4 percent since 2020. Nearly 111,000 more women in the country became a part of the workforce since 2020. All of this has resulted from more accessible childcare, along with flexible and hybrid work environments.
