Counter Arguments

A common misconception is that women will earn less than men because they work fewer hours, or that they take more time off than men do. While this could be true, this doesn't explain the wage gap. When comparing full-time employees, women in Canada earn on average 87 cents for every dollar earned by men (Statistics Canada, 2023). This gap persists even when factors such as hours worked, education, and experience are controlled. Additionally, women often work longer unpaid hours than men, and they are more likely to take on additional responsibilities outside their job roles, which they are very rarely compensated for, but play a huge role in workplace efficiency (Bishu & Alkadry, 2017). Women report a higher level of burnout compared to men, because of balance in professional and domestic responsibilities as well as mothers are more likely to take time off for sick children and household emergencies than fathers, which can affect their career progression and earnings over the years (Moyser & Burlock, 2018). 

Another argument is that women earn less because they choose lower paying fields, such as education, healthcare, and social work, where men will dominate higher paying fields, such as engineering and finance. Caregiving, and education, historically seen as “women's work” is underpaid despite their huge importance to society. It is true that women dominated fields tend to pay less, this itself is a form of systemic gender bias rather than a true reflection of women's work ethic or capabilities. Research states that as more women enter a profession, wages will typically go down, even when skills and responsibilities stay the same (Levanon et al., 2009). Even in the same industry women earn less than their male counterparts. In STEM fields, women are highly underrepresented, female employees will earn 12% less than men in the exact same roles, after controlling for factors of experience and education (Gupta et al., 2022).