Changing Economic Role of Women

"I do not want to be the angel of any home; I want for myself what I want for other women, absolute equality. After that is secured, then men and women can take turns at being angels."

- Agnes Macphail

The 20th century has been a period of rapid and far-reaching change for many women but life for women in some parts of the world still remains harsh. Even where females have experienced great advances like those in Canada, there are still some similarities between their economic role today and the role of women in the 1900s. During the 19th and 20th century, attempts were made to define and extend human rights but most of these struggles ignored or denied the rights of more than half the human race - women. It was unsurprising that this is the case because at the time, Canada was a patriarchal society, a society in which men have more power than women, readier access than women to what is valued in the society, and, in consequence, are in control over many, if not most aspects of women's lives. It wasn't until the women's movement that has touched the lives of most Canadian women and has transformed the structure of their daily existence; it was this movement that eliminated the fact that Canada was a patriarchal society and improved the economic role of Canadian women. Since the 1960s women have undertaken a vigorous assault on Canada's system of power and the nation now claims to be an equal society and emphasizes significantly on equality amongst all but are we all actually equal? Has the glass-ceiling effect been broken at last? That question still remains unclear but what will remain clear is that once women take up positions where men are unwilling to work, distinguish themselves independent from men in the labour force, and begin to set their desire of exploration for their interest in politics, equilibrium between the two sexes will finally be established.

The changing economic roles of women have improved little with regards to the average earnings of women. The average earnings of employed women today are still considerably lower than those of men despite the nation's declaration that it is an equal country with equal pay amongst all. In 1998, employed women had average earnings of just $23,900, a figure that was only 64% that of all men with jobs. Even when employed on a full-time, full-year basis, the earnings of women remain below those of their male counterparts. In 2002, full-time employed women earned only 71% of what men earned. Furthermore, women receive lower returns for their education than those of the opposite sex. Even female university graduates employed full-time, full-year earned only 70% as much as their male colleagues in 1998. One result of the fact that the earnings of women are well below those of men is that the overall incomes of women remain well below those of men. In 1998, the average annual pre-tax income of women aged 15 and over from all sources was $20,800, just 61% the figure for men, who had an average income of $33,000 that year. In 1995, the average income of visible minority women was $16,600, compared to $17,100 for other women in Canada, and $23,600 for visible minority men. Women still earn more than $5000 a year less than the visible minority men. The need to better address the wage gap in Canada is clear; it is a fundamental aspect of improving women's economic independence, and to ensure a new millennium that is fair and equitable for all Canadians.

Although women failed to create a pay equity between the supposed "dominant" sex and them, women are slowly catching up to the men in similar work areas and are also filling an area where men are not willing to work. The majority of employed women continue to work in occupations in which are still considered traditional female occupation. In 1999, 70% of all employed women were working in teaching, nursing and related health occupations, clerical or other administrative positions, and sales and service occupations. This compared with just 29% of employed men. Simultaneously, women have increased their representation in several professional fields in recent years. For example, in 1999, women made up 49% of business and financial professionals, up from 41% in 1987 and Toronto Census Metropolitan shows that 56,550 females versus the 42,270 males are employed in the retail industry. There has also been substantial growth in the number of women employed in diagnostic and treating positions in medicine and related health professions. In fact, women made up almost half (47%) of all doctors and dentists in 1999, up from 44% in 1987. Women have also increased their share in managerial positions. In 1999, 35% of all those employed in managerial positions were women, up from 29%. As Canada progresses into the future, it can be assured that more women will be shattering what is known as the glass-ceiling and "many more [will be] chipping holes in it."

Although women continue to play an ever more vital role in not only our society but our economy as well, it is this that contributes to the escalating numbers of marital dissolution and the breakdown of families in Canada. In the past, families managed to put clothes on their back, food on the table, and a roof over their head with a single person employed, most often if not always the father. Today, families with both parents working are the norm. A family in today's world must work now 65 to 85 hours per week just to maintain the same standard of living provided by a single father who worked 45 hours per week 20 years ago. When people are left with no choice but to work longer hours to make ends meet, there is less time for daily chores, children, leisure, and care for the elderly. This leads to approximately two-thirds of working mothers and one-half of working fathers to experience high levels of stress and leave couples who work to spend on average a total of just 12 minutes a day talking to each other. Furthermore, couples today spend 40% less time with their children as parents did two decades ago. As a result, family breakdown and divorces are the consequences. Today fewer than 40% of children can expect to be born to married parents who had not had lived together before marriage and now over 25% of our children will experience parental separation before they are six years old. The impact on children is devastating. Children born out of marriage or affected by separation and divorce are more likely to experience lower new-born health, lower educational achievement, increased exposure to crime, lower levels of job attainment, increased dependency on welfare, and a greater risk of being sexually abused. As well, Statistics Canada concluded that violent crimes accounted for one in five youths between the ages