AP 2 for SDG's

Kyle Gordon

10/27/19

There are gender wage gaps in America and Canada. You might be surprised when you find out what they are. A gender wage gap means that men get paid more than women. The gender wage gap in America is mainly caused by the motherhood penalty. The gender wage gap in Canada is mainly caused because women work in lower paying jobs than men. The surprising thing is that the wage gap is the same in both countries, women get paid 79 cents for every dollar a man makes in both countries.

In the United States of America, women make 79 cents for every dollar a man makes. According to Fortune.com, one reason for this is the motherhood penalty. The male employers think that if a mother has a child that the mother will think that that child is more important than their work. If a woman has a baby she needs more money for that baby. Ironically, some male employers pay mothers less money even though they need more. Four ways the government tries to fight the motherhood penalty is paying for food stamps, giving mothers cash, paying for child care, and making the place they work give equal pay. The gap between women who aren't mothers and women who are is bigger than the pay gap between women and men.

Like in America, in Canada women in 2019 make only 79 cents for every dollar a man makes. In Canada according to Global news, women tend to work in low paying industry jobs. Examples of low paying jobs in Canada are bartenders, cashiers, hair stylists, and teachers. In 2018, Canada established the Gender Results Framework, Canadian Gender Budgeting Act, and Department for Women and Gender Equality. These laws were made to shorten the wage gap. According to behind the numbers.ca, these laws are not working. 

Canada and America have the same wage gap and are similar countries. Both countries have the same wage gap, but for different reasons. America has the motherhood penalty which is when men pay mothers less because they have children. Canadian women mostly work at lower paying jobs. The American government is trying to help by giving out food stamps to mothers, giving mothers cash, paying for child care, and making the jobs they work at give equal pay. They are doing a good job at helping. The Canadian government is trying to help out by making laws like Gender Results Framework, Canadian Gender Budgeting Act, and Department for Women and Gender Equality. These laws are not helping out.

In conclusion, both America and Canada have the same wage gap. America has it mainly because of the motherhood penalty. That is when men who work at a certain job pay mothers less because they have children. America is helping out by giving food stamps out and such. In Canada, women work at less paying jobs than men. Both governments are trying to help but America’s the only one helping based on behindthenumbers.ca