Over the years, both the GWG and the labour force participation of women have decreased in Canada. Women are contributing financially to their pensions as they work and earn more money. And yet, compared to men, women receive a significantly lower retirement income.
The scarce research on the GPG point to several reasons behind its persistence.
Deeply ingrained gender norms and discriminatory practices may help to explain the gap, as pension payouts are largely dependent on the financial contributions of employees.
After having children, women are more likely than men to leave the workforce (temporarily or permanently), work fewer years over the course of their careers, work part-time to balance caregiving responsibilities, and make less money overall than men (due to the GWG).
The GPG can be viewed as one of the GWG’s many repercussions on the long-term economic security of women.
