Other than having children, women¡¦s education level and their physical inferiority could be the most probable sources of the gender wa

ge gap. Traditionally, women¡¦s average education had been lower than men¡¦s. However, in 1997, women¡¦s average years of schooling was slightly higher than men¡¦s by 13.8 years to 13.6 years (Survey of Labour and Income Dynamic in Canada 1997), and this trend still continues to this day. In addition, women¡¦s university undergraduate enrolment rate has been higher than men¡¦s since 1985 and was 7.0 per cent higher than men¡¦s in 1998. Thus, the tradition of women¡¦s lower education level has been diminished in our society, and cannot be counted as a strong source of gender wage gap happening in the modern Canadian society. On the other hand, due to the fact that natural physical attributes cannot be significantly changed in a few decades, women¡¦s physical inferiority is more fundamental factor that can affect women¡¦s wages in industrial sectors that requires great physical capacity. Especially in occupations such as mining, fishing, construction trades that are mostly done by physical labour, women¡¦s physical inferiority can be a strong reason that can explain the gender wage gap. However, it is no longer a valid reason when it comes to explaining the gender wage gap in occupations that do not require a high degree of physical capacity. For example, in 1996, women-men wage ratios in teaching and natural science occupations, which relatively require minimal physical capacity, were 73 per cent and 77 per cent respectively (Statistics Canada 1996). Thus, physical inferiority cannot be the universal source of the wage gap.

According to the study done by Phipps, Burton and Lethbridge (2001:418) using data from the 1995 Statistics Canada General Social Survey, women are not only three times more likely to experience job interruptions than men, but duration of their experience of job interruption tends to be significantly longer ¡V an average total duration of women¡¦s experience in any kinds of job interruption was 6.15 years while men¡¦s was 1.63 years. More important point is that there is clear gender difference in the reasons for having interruptions. 80.2 per cent of men who have experienced any kinds of job interruptions reported the availability of work or the ability to work such as layoff, lack

Some topics in this essay:
Social Survey, According Albrecht, Dynamic Canada, Statistics Canada, Mothers Allowance, Suggested Becker, , wage gap, gender wage gap, gender wage, Shannon Kidd, Burton Lethbridge, women children, source gender wage, source gender, statistics canada, et al, human capital, child care, physical inferiority, sources gender wage, absence paid, Canada Social, stronger source gender, phipps et al,