Canada is a favourite destination for immigrants and offers equal opportunities to both genders. All Canadian citizens and residents have the right to equality, fair treatment, equal opportunity, and an environment without discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, marital status, and family status.
According to Statista (data gathering company), 234,538 female immigrants arrived in Canada in 2023. On International Women’s Day (March 8th), Canada celebrates women by ranking among the top nations, offering safety and security, a cordial atmosphere, and workplace facilities.
Women immigrants come from diverse cultures and come to Canada for various reasons. “Push” factors, such as emergencies like floods, war, and famine, and “pull” factors, like job and education opportunities, play a role. Some immigrants have family in Canada who can sponsor them.
An analysis from the Labour Force Survey found that while men continue to earn a bit more than women, this gap has closed, from 16% in 2007 to 12% by 2022, among paid workers aged between 20 and 54.
On an annual basis, the labour force participation rate for women aged 15 years and older and all education levels grew from 58.5% in 1990 (the beginning of the current data series) to 61.5% in 2022. The rate for men declined from 76.1% to 69.5% over the same period.
The majority of women immigrants arrive in Canada via family class sponsorship. A total of 1,215,200 women immigrants came to Canada in 2022 as secondary applicants, meaning they were a spouse, partner, or dependent of the primary applicant through an economic immigration program under the Canada Skilled Immigration program that leads to permanent residence of the applicant and his family. Through family class sponsorship, 1,194,685 women arrived.
Economic immigration programs in Canada target skilled candidates with in-demand occupations and experience that will allow them to integrate easily into society and contribute to the economy. These programs can be through the Express Entry System or Provincial Nominee Programs. To know more about how women can apply on their own or with their spouses, contact registered immigration consultants in Dubai for further inquiries and professional advice.
The Canadian federal government enforced the Pay Equity Act in August 2021 to narrow the pay gap and ensure equal pay for women. However, this act only applies to women employed in federally regulated workplaces.
Some provincial governments have legislation to ensure the same pay for women for similar work, irrespective of gender. Pay discrimination based on gender is not allowed by Human Rights legislation in British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Equal salary for work is also part of employment standards legislation in Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, Yukon, and Northwest Territories.
Canada has policies in place for lower-income groups to allocate funding. The members of these programs under the federal government get settlement services that help them develop soft skills to assist them in finding employment, such as resumes. However, most of the government funding available goes toward projects to support initiatives taken to prevent gender-based violence.
