Women's Work and Pay
At nearly half of the province's labour force, women contribute significantly to the province's economy every day.
We also contribute significantly in ways that aren't counted: providing hundreds of thousands of hours of unpaid care each year. Mothers raise and clean up after their children. Many women provide unpaid care to an aging or ill relative—taking mom to the doctor or dad for groceries—or a child with a disability. That unpaid care decreases women's current and future potential earnings, and increases their vulnerability to poverty at all stages of life.
Women working full time earn about three-quarters of what men earn, and unpaid work accounts for part of that gap. Traditional job choices account for another part: Two-thirds of women in Nova Scotia work in retail and clerical occupations, low-paying work that offers little or no security or benefits. Many work part-time, on contract or are self-employed, which means they are not eligible for paid maternity, parental or compassionate care leave benefits and have trouble saving for retirement.
At the Advisory Council, we work to make women and girls aware of a broader range of occupational and career opportunities. We also encourage industry to recruit women. Partners inside and outside of government help to accomplish these goals.