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BPW Priority Issues Income Equity
BPW Priority Issues Income Equity
Income Equity for Women
Economic Income Equity Champion: BPW Canada President, Doris Hall and National Secretary Sheila Crook met with the Honourable Minister Rona Ambrose (Minister of Public Works and Status of Women - C), and Suzanne Clément Status of Women Canada to discuss the BPW Canada Brief and strategy to introduce the BPW Canada Women's Empowerment Principles.
| BPW CANADA EQUAL PAY DAY PROCLAMATION CHALLENGE | |||
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BPW Canada is encouraging business and community leaders across the country to ask the Mayors in their respective communities to Proclaim March 18th EQUAL PAY DAY. What is a Proclamation? Proclamations are used to provide recognition of extraordinary achievements, to honour occasions of significance and to increase public awareness of issues of importance with the hope of improving the overall well-being of our communities. Take up the Equal Pay Day Proclamation Challenge! To get you started feel free to adapt the sample proclamation and guidelines posted below. Let us know when your city has proclaimed their Equal Pay Day. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
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Way to Go Selkirk, Manitoba.....Proclamation for Equal Pay Day: March 18, 2012
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BPW Cambridge and BPW Kitchener Waterloo host Pay Equity seminar to mark BPW Canada's 2nd Equal Pay Day - March 18, 2012
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| Click here for more about Equal Pay Day | |||
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Economic Equality In BPW, we believe that economic equality and income equity must become a reality if Canada is to achieve the founding principles upon which our Nation was built. The emerging global protests dubbed the “OCCUPY MOVEMENT” echo this sentiment and clearly demonstrate that economic equality is far from a reality in Canada. This peaceful grassroots movement is bringing a voice to the devastating impact that economic inequality places on families, women, children, men and many seniors, particularly women, who find themselves living their "golden years" below the poverty line. Power in Numbers: United - Hear us Roar! An awakening is occurring as individual groups who have long worked to improve very real problems faced by very real people join together to counter mainstream suggestions that a movement that is about everything can be about nothing. Having watched their role in formulating sound solutions to societal issues slowly erode these once isolated and individual expressions of discontent are buoyed by the realization that several common denominators are contributing to their diverse yet persisting plight. The Governor of the Bank of Canada, Mark Carney called the Occupy Wall Street an “entirely constructive expression of frustration about the economy and income inequality”. The “Occupy Movement” blends the power of social media with the more traditional feet on the street protest and honours the diversity of individual issues while simultaneously recognizing that many of these causes share common aspects. Three Fundamental Threads of Discontent;
The good news is that changes to our political, economic and social systems and policies can address the current economic inequalities and bring about political reform that fully engages and truly represents the people. http://Occupy Movement Google Search These are interesting times with much potential. BPW Canada encourages all Canadians and all women to take stock of what is important to them and to take a stand with those seeking to create a thriving economic base that promotes income equity and equal opportunity. |
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BPW Canada continues our work for Income Equity
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Despite Equal Pay and Pay Equity legislation income equity is not a reality in Canada, with women in the workforce today still earning only a percentage of what their male counterparts earn – on average, less than 80%.(Statscan Women's Economic Wellbeing 2011) With little progress in narrowing the wage gap, recent changes and reduction to the Status of Women funding and the passing of the Public Service Equitable Compensation Act in 2009, the need for a resurgence of effort in the area of economic equality is warranted. |
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BPW Canada Annual Equal Pay Day Campaign,
sending a clear message that
“Economic Equality – Means Business”
BPW Canada is holding its second annual Equal Pay Day Campaign on March 18, 2012, encouraging Canadian women to become informed about how they can prepare themselves to deal with and potentially put an end to gender-based discriminatory pay practices. Pay practices that limit their advancement to higher paying jobs and undervalue their contribution.
Today women in Canada on average are required to work an additional 2 ½ months into the next year to earn the same income that men earn doing the same job working just the regular 12 months of the preceding year.
In this age of social media, we call upon every BPW member and every woman in Canada to get the message out that the persisting Wage Gap is simply no longer acceptable and that solutions are needed NOW!!! Raise the issue with your friends, families, colleagues and elected representatives. Join Facebook, LinkedIn and start Tweeting. Join the “Occupy Movement” in your community and work with related organizations and like minded individuals to make positive change.
Together we can create and generate real solutions that can help individual women and our Nation as a whole, (men, women and children) benefit from the fiscal stability that economic equality can bring.
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Check out some ideas to host your own Equal Pay Day event listed in the BPWI Equal Pay Day brochure.
Club sponsored Equal Pay Day events to be posted on this web page under Activities |
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“Create a Buzz” – BPW Canada and is asking clubs and members to be sure to join the BPW Canada Facebook page, to follow and share information and promote the activities that clubs across Canada plan to sponsor in support of the March 18, 2012 Equal Pay Day campaign. Help to send the message that when it comes to “Economic Equality - BPW Means Business”.
| Equal Pay Day Gift Bags and Tags Now Available in English and French | |
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| Order you Equal Pay Day gift bags and gift tags from BPW Canada Emblems | |
Below, you will find a range of resources and list of activities that BPW Canada has engaged in to pursue income equality for all Canadian women.
Equal Pay Day Proclaimation Challenge!
Proclamations are used to provide recognition of extraordinary achievements, to honour occasions of significance and to increase public awareness of issues of importance with the hope of improving the overall well-being of our communities.
Take up the Equal Pay Day Proclamation Challenge! To get you started feel free to adapt the sample proclamation and guidelines posted below.
Customized You Are Worth it Workshop:
| The “You Are Worth it: Compensation Pitfall and Strategies to Manage Them” can help us better understand why the wage gap persists and how we can address it. It is a joint initiative between BPW and the Pay Equity Commission of Ontario and is a resource that can be customized and used by clubs across Canada to get the message out that “Economic Equality - Means Business”. You Are Worth It - French Module |
BPW Canada to Launch Women's Empowerment Principals Nation Wide
What are the WEP's (Women's Empowerment Principles)
Launched on International Women's Day, the Women's Empowerment Principles-Equality Means Business suggests seven steps for companies to take to empower women in the workplace and the market place. They were launched by the United Nations Development Fund For Women (UNIFEM, part of UN Women) and the United Nations Global Compact on March 8th, 2010 based on a multi-stakeholder consultative process.
The Women’s Empowerment Principles are subtitled Equality Means Business because the full participation of women benefits business and by signing the Statement of Support, CEOs will demonstrate leadership on gender equality and women’s empowerment and will encourage fellow business leaders to do the same.
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BPW Canada WEPs Web Page and Resources Women EmpowWomen Empowerment Principles - Booklet.pdf Women Empowerment Principles - Press_Release.pdf Link to BPW International WEPs Page |
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The WEP's (Women's Empowerment Principles) 7 Principles
The 7 Principles are:
1. Establish high-level corporate leadership for gender equality.
2. Treat all women and men fairly at work – respect and support human rights and nondiscrimination.
3. Ensure the health, safety and well-being of all women and men worker
4. Promote education, training and professional development for women.
5. Implement enterprise development, supply chain and marketing practices that empower women.
6. Promote equality through community initiatives and advocacy.
7. Measure and publicly report on progress to achieve gender equality.
Women and the Economy Reports/Resources
International Women Reports :
Catalyst.org - Bottom Line: Corporate Performance Women's Representation on Boards 2004-2008
http://www.catalyst.org/publication/479/the-bottom-line-corporate-performance-and-womens-representation-on-boards-20042008
International Labour Office Report Women in Labour Markets, Measuring Progress and Identifying Challenges publicado em 2010
http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@ed_emp/@emp_elm/@trends/documents/publication/wcms_123835.pdf
World Economic Forum - The Global Gender Gap Report 2011 http://www.weforum.org/reports/global-gender-gap-report-2011
Publications
McKinsey&Company, Report Women Matter 2010, Women at the top of Corporations: Making it happen
http://www.mckinsey.com/locations/paris/home/womenmatter/pdfs/Women_matter_oct2010_english.pdf
About Women's Purchasing Power - Article from Harvard Business Review The Female Economy
http://hbr.org/2009/09/the-female-economy/ar/1
Activities Continue
- BPW featured in EPW USA Virtual Club Inaugural Webinar on Equal Pay Day.
- BPW Canada issues Statement on changes to the Old Age Security Act.
- BPW Canada supports EPD events in New York during 56 CSW at the United Nations
- BPW Montreal hosts Salary Negotian Workshop 2012
- BPW Canada holds discussions with Status of Women Canada and Government about Women's Empowerment Principles.
- Status Update on Employment Insurance for Self-Employed
- BPW Canada Forms Partnership with BPW Ontario and Pay Equity Commission
- BPW Canada Income Equity related resolutions: click here.
- Wage gap is even greater for university-educated women,” BPW Canada president writes. (pdf)
- Equality Once and For All! Women in the Workforce: Still a Long Way from Equality. Congress, 2008 (Canada Labour pdf)
- YWCA Canada Report on The Status of Women and Girls in Canada, 2008. (pdf)
- BPW Ontario proposes a strategy for economic equality between the sexes and to eliminate the wage gap.
Read Sheila Crook’s report. (pdf) - Ad-hoc Task Force on Employment Insurance:
Many reports have documented the fact that EI is not working for women. Since the reforms of the mid-1990's, only 32% of unemployed women qualify for regular EI benefits compared to 70% before the cuts. Currently 40% of men qualify. BPW Canada has had a number of resolutions on EI over the years, including one urging the govenment to provide access to maternity/parental benefits for self-employed women. This newly-established BPW Task Force will develop a comprehensive position statement for BPW Canada. If you have expertise and or interest in this area, and would like to be a member of the Task Force, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . - BPW Canada Convention 2006 Resolution: * Review of Formula for Private Pensions and Annuities (pdf)
- BPW Canada Position Statement: * Incomes for Senior Women in Canada (pdf)
* At Convention 2006 in Toronto, BPW Canada members passed a resolution, urging the Government of Canada to find a way that the self-employed and business owners can contribute to the EI fund, in order to be able to access benefits such as maternity/parental leave or the Compassionate Care-givers Leave.
* Access to EI self-employed (pdf)
* At Convention 2004 in Regina, BPW Canada members endorsed the report of the Prime Minister's Task Force on Women Entrepreneurs, 2003 (http://womensenterprise.ca/entrepreneurs-spotlight/studies.php) and urged the Government of Canada to begin implementation of its recommendations.
* BPW Canada Position Statement Pay Equity (pdf)
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BPW International continues to support “Equal Pay Day” for women around the world and encourages member countries to hold an “Equal Pay Day”. BPW Germany and BPW Australia have held a national day to recognize the wage gap. The gender pay gap represents the difference between the average hourly pay for women and men before taxes across the economy as a whole. It reflects ongoing discrimination and inequality in the labour market, which mainly affects women. International President Freda Miriklis encourages all affiliates to start a campaign of awareness and lobbying to close the still existing pay gap between men and women. ‘Equal pay for work of equal value’ is at the heart of the campaign to raise awareness of the pay gap, its causes, and what to do about it. |
For BPW Canada’s policy, see Index of Resolution
For recent submissions to government, see Briefs
Statscan Report: Women's Economic Wellbeing
