Hourly wages, by occupation and sex

The male-female wage differential differs by occupation

• One in four Canadian employees work in sales and service occupations—the highest concentration of employees in the occupational groupings. The wages in these jobs are the lowest, averaging only $12.82 per hour in 2005. The highest wages ($29.86) that year were earned by employees in management occupations, who represented 7% of all employees.
• The wage gap between men and women narrowed in most occupations in the last eight years. The greatest catch-up was among childcare and home support workers, where women earned 92 cents for every dollar earned by men, a substantial advance compared to the 73 cents earned in 1997. The gain was greater in British Columbia than in Manitoba, Quebec or Ontario.
• In all occupational categories, women's average hourly wages has always been lower than men's. In 2005, the greatest male-female wage gap was found in 'blue collar' occupations in the following fields: occupations unique to primary industry; trades and transport and equipment operators; and processing, manufacturing and utilities. In these occupations, women earned 70 to 73 cents for every dollar earned by men. In comparison, women earned a more comparable amount—93 to 95 cents for every dollar earned by men—in occupations in the following areas: art, culture, recreation and sport; and health.

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