Canada's agricultural sector is witnessing a steady decrease in the gender pay gap among farm operators. Over the last twenty years, this gap has been consistently narrowing, aligning with the broader movement towards wage parity in the country, but there is still a long way to go.
The Agriculture–Population Linkage study from Statistics Canada combines data from both the Census of Agriculture and the Census of Population to analyze this trend. As of 2020, the gap between women’s and men’s earnings in farming almost mirrors the national average for all Canadians over the age of 16. This is a notable development in an industry where the disparity in earnings based on gender has been a longstanding issue.
The study's methodology focuses on wages, salaries, and commissions, excluding farm operators who don’t receive these forms of income. It’s important to highlight that the study doesn’t account for non-paid activities like child rearing, which could influence a farm operator's total annual earnings.
By 2020, the gender pay gap among farm operators had reduced to 28.4%, an improvement from the 35.2% gap noted in 2000, yet still disappointing. This trend is reflective of the overall decrease in the Canadian gender pay gap. The study also reveals that this gap is smaller among farm operators who exclusively work on the farm, compared to those with off-farm jobs.
Geographical differences are also evident. The smallest gap was observed in the Atlantic provinces with a 12.9% gap, whereas British Columbia exhibited the largest gap with 37.7%. Different farm types show varying degrees of wage disparity, with dairy cattle and milk farms having the smallest gap. Conversely, greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture farms have the largest gap.
Revenue classes of farms also play a role, with higher revenue farms exhibiting a smaller gap. The level of education impacts the wage disparity as well, with the smallest gap among farm operators with a university certificate or diploma below the bachelor level. Interestingly, women farm operators were more likely to hold higher educational credentials compared to their male counterparts.
Field of study and racial background also influence the gap, with the smallest gap among those in agriculture-related fields and among racialized farm operators with a 20.2% gap compared to 38.8% in the indigenous community. Rural farm operators face a smaller gap compared to those in population centres, though overall earnings are higher in the latter.
These findings underscore a positive shift towards gender wage equality in Canadian agriculture, but there show there is still a long way to go.