Equal Pay Day 2024

On average, a woman must work 15.5 months to earn what a man does in 12. This year, the Equal Pay Coalition (EPC) has designated Tuesday, April 16th, as Equal Pay Day in Ontario. This date symbolizes the number of days women must work in order to make the same average wage as men. Although pay equity is the law in Ontario, women continue to earn almost 30% less than men on average. This pay gap affects women of all ages and education levels. Black and racialized women, Indigenous women, 2SLGBTQI+ women, and women with disabilities face even greater wage disparities.

The EPC is comprised of dozens of unions, women’s groups and community organizations seeking to end gender pay discrimination and close the gender pay gap through legislation, collective bargaining, and social initiatives. OSSTF/FEESO is a member of the Equal Pay Coalition and, as part of this coalition, we continue to urge the Ontario government to make meaningful changes to pay equity legislation and to remove other systemic gender barriers that lead to the wage gap.

In 2024, the EPC has focused on emphasizing the real value of the work that women do and the fact that they are undervalued and underpaid.

In addition to the Equal Pay Day for all women on April 16th, the coalition will be recognizing and highlighting different Equal Pay Day’s for other groups of women through their social media accounts and website:

• May 19th—Racialized women
• June 1st—Black and Indigenous women
• June 5th—Women with disabilities
• June 20th—Arab women

On Equal Pay Day, take some time to amplify the message of the Equal Pay Coalition. Visit the Equal Pay Coalition website: http://equalpaycoalition.org/ and follow/like their Instagram/Facebook account: @equalpaycoalition. There you can share the videos made by women in the care economy and add the Equal Pay Day logo to your social media accounts.