Quebec women earned an average of 91 per cent of the hourly salary of their male colleagues in 2021, according to new data published Monday by the Institut de la statistique du Québec.
The gender wage gap has narrowed in the province since 1998, when women took home an average of 83 per cent of men’s hourly rate.
The analysis of earnings by sector paints a different picture, depending on the industry. In management, the gap has shrunk since the late 1990s, with women’s earnings rising from 79 per cent to 91 per cent of their male counterparts.
When it comes to the sales and services sector, the difference in pay between genders also narrowed. Women went from 80 per cent to 92 per cent.
The disparity is more pronounced in other fields, like the natural resources and agricultural sector. Women only earned an average of 72 per cent of what their male colleagues take home. It is the sector where the wage gap was the widest in 2021.
The gap is even wider when looking at weekly earnings in Quebec. The data shows women perform fewer hours of paid work on average compared to men. Women earn about 82.3 per cent of men’s weekly earnings.
— with files from Global News’ Kalina Laframboise
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