Legal and Ethical Changes for Women

 

This man in this video explains some reasons 

why women may earn less than men

In the early 1900's women were seen as the weaker sex. Their role is primarily to educate and raise a family. At this time women are unable to vote in any federal or provincial elections. Women were unable to operate or own a business of their own, and although they were able to work they always had lower paying jobs than men. At this time women made up an estimated 13% of the Canadian workforce.

Fast forward 50 years and women are continuing their fight for equal rights. During this time most men were fighting in the war, which gave women the opportunity to begin working at factories. Women have managed to gain equal political rights, but are still not seen as equals socially and economically. During these times women are discriminated against in the workplace, and still earn significantly less than their male counterparts.

Listed below are a few laws that have helped women's rights:

• 1918: An Act to Confer Electoral Franchise Upon Women. Allows women to vote in federal elections
• 1948: Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 
• 1951: Equal pay legislation is formally introduced in Ontario
• 1953: Fair Employment Act is passed 
• 1956: Female Employees Equal Pay Act is passed by the federal government
• 1988: Employment Equity Act 

Today gender does not dictate earnings, rather we are paid based on skill, education and work achievements. Women are seen as contributing members of our society and economy. There are legal ramifications for those that do discriminate against women. These tremendous changes have allowed women more freedom of choice regarding their work and futures. You may think that with all these changes that our work is done, but that is not the case. Even in recent years the gender gap has been narrowing. Let`s see where the future takes us!

* The above information was gathered from http://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/en/index.asp. There is a lot of interesting facts on this website, so be sure to have a look.