Quebec women earned an average of 91 per cent of the average hourly wage of their male colleagues in 2021, according to data released Monday by the Quebec statistics institute.
The gap between men and women has narrowed since 1998, when women earned on average 83 per cent of the hourly rate of men.
Analysis by sector reveals a different picture, depending on the industry. In management, for example, the gap has narrowed, with the ratio rising from 79 per cent to 91 per cent.
A similar situation can be observed in the sales and services sector, where the ratio has increased from 80 per cent to 92.
In contrast, the situation is stagnant in the natural resources and agriculture sector, in particular, where the ratio has remained stable at 72 per cent.
This is the sector with the largest gap in 2021.
However, the wealth gap between men and women is larger when weekly earnings are taken into account.
Women work fewer hours of paid work on average. Women earn on average 82.3 per cent of the weekly earnings of men in Quebec.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 21, 2022.
