Study on pay equity shows few gains for women over past decade

According to a report published Monday by the Common Front for Social Justice, there's still a long way to go when it comes to pay equity for women in New Brunswick.

The report, entitled "One Step Forward, Two Steps Backward," examines the changes and fluctuations in the female workforce from 2005 to 2015.

The study lists some of the obstacles that women face when entering the workforce, like the lack of affordable childcare.

"The employment standards aren't up to par to help support [women]," said Chantal Landry, provincial secretary for the executive committee of the Common Front for Social Justice.  

The study also notes that while women now hold more jobs in the public sector, there were no gains for women in the private sector.

Landry says that the number of women working full-time for minimum wage has doubled, while the number of women working part-time for minimum wage has tripled.

She says women also don't enjoy the same benefits in the private sector that they do in the public sector. "So no paid sick days, there are sometimes holidays that they miss work and they aren't paid for," said Landry.

Thérèse Duguay, a home care support worker with the Red Cross, feels that because her field is female-dominated, it is taken less seriously, which results in lower wages.

"[My work] is really not valued," said Duguay. "When people see us arrive, they say 'the cleaning ladies are here.' I'm far from a cleaning lady."

The Common Front for Social Justice published their study in honour of International Women's Day, March 8.