More than 25 years after the adoption of the Canadian Human Rights Act, women working full-time still earn 71% of men’s salaries, regardless of our age, occupation or education.

Québec has them, so why can’t the rest of Canada?

Mothering a child is associated with a significant drop in income. It has lifelong consequences for a woman’s earning capacity and employment-related benefits like pensions. And that’s above and beyond feeding and clothing a child or temporary loss of income when a woman stops work to take care of a new child!

Today, 73% of women with children aged 0-6 years are in the paid workforce. If women are to have equal access to the work force, education and professional training, good, affordable child care is essential. Women shouldn’t have to assume responsibility for caring for young children at the price of their own financial independence.