By the Numbers: Gender Wage Gap persists even at executive level

Toronto – January 9, 2019 – While it is well-known that women in Canada often face a “glass ceiling” when trying to advance in the workplace, a new report shows that the ceiling is double-paned, as women who reach the executive level are paid less than their male colleagues.

Written by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the report finds that the gender wage gap – the difference in earnings between men and women at work – exists even at the highest levels of corporate Canada, with women executives making significantly less than their male counterparts. Below is a summary of the report’s findings.

$0.68

The amount that women CEOs and top executives earn for every dollar that their male colleagues make.

$2 million

The average compensation for women in top executive positions in Canada.

$950,000

The annual difference in earnings between women and men in executive positions as a result of the gender wage gap.

$0.83

The amount that the average women earns, among all full-time workers, for every dollar that their male counterparts make. Evidently, the gender wage gap widens when women reach executive positions.

4%

The percentage of all Canadian CEOs who are women.

10%

The percentage of all Canadian top executives who are women.

Source: David Macdonald, The Double-Pane Glass Ceiling, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Online, January 2019.