Equal Pay Day: 10 Resources to help you understand the Canadian Gender Wage Gap

April 19, 2016, is Equal Pay Day in Ontario.

You may have noticed that various dates in April mark Equal Pay Day across the globe. This is because April symbolizes how far into the next year women must work to earn an equal annual salary to their male counterparts.

Bottom line: this gender wage gap holds women back, as well as the global economy. In an effort to eradicate this, policies have been submitted and the numbers have been crunched. But are you wondering what these numbers really mean and how you can play a role in closing the gap? The first step is to get empowered by learning more about the issue. Here are 10 Resources to help you understand the Canadian Gender Wage Gap.

1. The stat you need to know: women in Canada earn about 72% of men's wages for similar work. This CBC News article outlines systemic imbalances that contribute to this statistic including the division of household responsibilities and the fact that women are disproportionately represented in lower-paying industries, such as early childhood education.
2. Premier Kathleen Wynne is being pushed to close the wage gap by 2025. On April 18th, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released a report, Every Step You Take by Mary Cornish, Chair of Ontario's Equal Pay Coalition. The report urges the Ontario government and the business community to close the gender pay gap by 2025.
3. 4 ways our new government can tackle wage inequality. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and Oxfam Canada teamed up to publish, Making Women Count. This report proposes four actions and explains that “with a new government and a new global sustainable development agenda, Canada has an unprecedented opportunity to tackle economic and gender inequality and make women count.”
4. Equal Pay vs. Pay Equity. Confused about the difference between pay equity and equal pay? The Ontario Pay Equity Commission clarifies here. Among many other services, the commission provides helpful webinars and workshops and case studies.
5. What is the Pay Equity Act? Ontario’s Pay Equity Commission is responsible for enforcing the Pay Equity Act, which requires that all public sector employers and all private sector employers with more than 10 employees achieve pay equity by eliminating sex-based wage discrimination and by continuing to maintain discrimination-free wages into the future. Click here for a detailed overview of the Act as well as mechanisms for wage comparison. The Government of Canada also has resources to help you understand the Pay Equity Program on a federal level. 
6. Wondering how Canada’s wage gap compares to that of other countries? Read this Globe and Mail article to get a sense of where we stand. Spoiler: it’s nothing to celebrate.
7. How does the gap impact women’s earnings globally? For a concise overview read Catalyst's Quick Take.
8. Want a visual? Click here for five informative infographics created by the World Economic Forum that explain what causes a woman’s progression up the ladder to stall.
9. Interested to hear an international perspective? The Britain based Fawcett Society has put together numerous informative resources on the wage gap including an outline of causes, what can be done about it and a list of articles for more in-depth reading.
10. Want to follow and contribute to the action on social media? Search and use #EPD2016.

What can you do to help close the gap?

Melissa Melia Dunn is the Director of Content, Communications & International at the Women's Executive Network (WXN).