FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2018
‘Another day, another 66 cents’: Women in Newfoundland and Labrador mark Pay Equity Day
On March 8, 2017, a private member’s motion was put forward in the House of Assembly urging the provincial government to begin the process to enact pay equity legislation. Members of the House of Assembly lent their unanimous support to the effort and passed the resolution. Now more than a year has passed, and no further movement has been made. Today, on April 5, 2018, women in the province are demanding progress on pay equity.
Newfoundland and Labrador lays claim to the highest gender wage gap in the country. For every dollar a man makes in this province, a woman makes 66 cents. Racialized, Indigenous, trans, and disabled women make even less. A woman would have to work into early April to earn what men did in the previous year. As such, the St. John’s Status of Women Council (SJSWC) has chosen April 5 to mark Pay Equity Day. On this day, the SJSWC and its membership are questioning the status of the all-party committee on pay equity that was promised in 2017.
“Pay equity is a human rights issue. We simply cannot continue to bolster the economy on the backs of women’s undervalued and underpaid work,” said Jenny Wright, Executive Director of the SJSWC. “We want to know when and how the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is going to form the all-party committee on pay equity it committed to on International Women’s Day 2017.”
Women are encouraged to write their MHAs, talk to their coworkers, and ask their employers where they stand on equal pay. The SJSWC’s Pay Equity Day campaign materials, including a printable poster and social media images, are available for download at https://sjwomenscentre.ca/activism/.
Fast Facts on the Gender Wage Gap:
• Women in Newfoundland and Labrador have the lowest median income compared to women in any other Canadian province.
• The gender gap in income between Newfoundland and Labrador women and men is wide, with women earning a median hourly wage of $17.50 compared to men’s $24.86/hour.
• In Canada, women earn an average of 72 cents for every dollar made by men. In Newfoundland and Labrador, that figure is at 66 cents.
• At the current rate of change, the global economic gender gap won’t be closed for another 170 years.
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Media Contacts
Jenny Wright
Executive Director
St. John’s Status of Women Council
Tel. 709.753.0220
jenny@sjwomenscentre.ca
Robyn Pike
Development and Communications Coordinator
St. John’s Status of Women Council
Tel. 709.753.0220
robyn@sjwomenscentre.ca
About St. John’s Status of Women Council/Women’s Centre
The St. John’s Status of Women Council/Women’s Centre is a feminist organization that since 1972 is continually working to achieve equality and justice through political activism, community collaboration and the creation of a safe and inclusive space for all women in the St. John’s area. The St. John’s Status of Women Council operates the Women’s Centre, Marguerite’s Place Supportive Housing Program and the Safe Harbour Outreach Project.