Women at work

Any immigrant woman settling in Québec enjoys the same rights and obligations as any other woman in Québec. While in the past, very few women worked outside the home in Québec, the situation is very different today. Most women are active at home and in the workforce.

Women in Québec enjoy the same rights as men and are considered independent and responsible. They can therefore practice the trade or profession of their choice. Any employer who refuses to hire a woman for a position for which she is qualified, because she is a woman, is committing an offence punishable by legal prosecution and penalties.

Despite these equal rights, women have long been confined to traditional and usually underpaid "women's work". To redress these past injustices, the government, parapublic companies and many employers have set up equal opportunity programs for women.

Québec also has a Pay Equity Act. Under this legislation, a female worker must receive the same pay as a male worker when their jobs, although different, are of the same or equivalent value within the organization.

	USEFUL INFORMATION
	If you are refused a job because you are a woman, contact the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse.

Useful links

• Conseil du statut de la femme
  Information on the rights and living conditions of women as well as contact information for regional offices
• Commission de l’équité salariale du Québec
• Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse