Economic security affects a person’s choices, stability, and ability to plan for the future. Canada has made important progress in women’s education, employment, entrepreneurship, and access to child care. At the same time, unequal pay, employment discrimination, underrepresentation, caregiving demands, and housing costs continue to place uneven pressure on women and gender-diverse people.
These experiences are not uniform. Disability, age, race, ethnicity, Indigeneity, sexual orientation, gender identity, immigration status, and location can deepen or change the barriers a person encounters. The national statistics make those differences visible.
Education has advanced while opportunity remains unequal
Canada is one of the most educated countries in the world, and most working-age women have college or university credentials, at rates that now exceed those of men. The change since 1976 is substantial, as fewer than 30% of women had any postsecondary education at that time.
In 2021, 54% of Indigenous women aged 25 to 64 had completed a postsecondary qualification. The corresponding rate for non-Indigenous women was 71%. For bachelor’s degrees or higher, the figures were 16% for Indigenous women and 37% for non-Indigenous women.
Women made up 35% of STEM bachelor’s degree holders aged 25 to 64 in 2021. Women with STEM degrees were nevertheless more likely to be unemployed and to have lower median salaries than men with STEM degrees.
Employment gains coexist with exclusion
For women aged 25 to 54, labour force participation rose from 38% in 1976 to 85% in 2025. Indigenous women also recorded progress, with their employment rate increasing from 63% in 2015 to 71% in 2025. The 2025 rate remained below the 80% recorded for non-Indigenous women, and the gap has changed little since 2019.
Women with disabilities continue to face a significant difference in employment. In 2022, 73% of women aged 25 to 54 with disabilities were employed, compared with 84% of women without disabilities.
Among people aged 25 to 64, approximately 18% of 2SLGBTQI+ people were in the lowest income group, compared with 14% of straight, cisgender people. In 2021, 30% of transgender women and 22% of transgender men said they had been denied employment because of their gender identity.
Earnings reveal another layer of insecurity
In 2020, cisgender men aged 25 to 64 who worked full time throughout the year had the highest earnings at $81,900. Earnings were $68,900 for transgender men, $67,800 for cisgender women, $66,000 for non-binary people, and $64,300 for transgender women.
The broader gender pay gap in Canada is the second highest in the G7. In 2025, women aged 25 to 54 who worked full time or part time earned 89 cents for every dollar earned by a man. Black, Indigenous, and racialized women experienced an even wider gap. The federal Pay Equity Act was adopted in 2018 to ensure fair compensation in the federal public service and federally regulated institutions.
Women are also overrepresented in low-wage work. In 2022, 28% of women and 16% of men worked in the five lowest-paid occupations, including sales and service roles, caregiving, and administrative support.
Caregiving and child care shape financial choices
Women spend an average of four more hours per week caring for adults and eight more hours caring for children than men. Those 12 extra hours can reduce the time available for full-time work, career earnings, education, and rest.
When parents had difficulty securing child care in 2022, 38% changed a work or study schedule, 37% worked fewer hours, and 33% paid more than anticipated. Canada’s Early Learning and Child Care program provides high-quality, low-cost care for 900,000 children and saves families up to $16,200 per child annually.
The economic effect is national as well as personal. Expanded affordable child care has added more than 1% to Canada’s GDP since 2019, or roughly $32 billion, while making it possible for more parents, especially women, to work.
Power and representation remain concentrated
Women form nearly half of the workforce but hold only 37% of management positions. Only 5% of Canadian companies have a woman CEO.
Representation within senior management pipelines is lower for women with intersecting identities. Indigenous women account for 1%, Black women 1.8%, 2SLGBTQIA+ women 1.8%, and women with disabilities 3.5%. On corporate boards in 2025, Indigenous women represented 1% of directors, Black women 2.5%, women with disabilities 1%, and 2SLGBTQIA+ women 1%.
At the same time, women and gender-diverse entrepreneurs make major contributions. Women are majority owners of about 20% of Canadian businesses. Majority women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises generate more than $90 billion each year and employ close to one million people.
Indigenous women are business owners at a rate of 23%, compared with 20% of non-Indigenous women. More than 100,000 2SLGBTQI+ owned businesses generate over $22 billion in economic activity and support more than 435,000 jobs. Organizations led by women are 25% more likely to outperform peers in profitability and innovation.
Removing barriers supports safety and stability
The data show why prevention and support cannot be separated from economic opportunity. Fair access to work, equitable pay, accessible services, affordable child care, secure housing, and genuine representation all strengthen a person’s ability to make decisions and build a stable future.
Progress should be measured not only by overall participation, but also by whether people facing intersecting barriers can obtain work, earn fairly, advance into leadership, access care, and maintain financial security across their lives.
Source
Women and Gender Equality Canada Gender equality facts statistics and impact
https://www.canada.ca/en/women-gender-equality/gender-equality/facts-stats-impact.html
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