Glass ceiling persists in Canada

By Staff | December 11, 2012 | Last updated on December 11, 2012
2 min read

The glass ceiling still creates challenges for female business leaders, says a new Ipsos Reid and Randstad poll.

While equal opportunity in the Canadian workplace has progressed substantially over the years, work still needs to be done to remove all gender issues in the workplace, says Hanna Vineberg, vice-president of central Ontario for Randstad Canada.

The survey finds Canada’s female managers and executives are still seeing a divide on a range of factors, with salary topping the list.

Read: Investing in you: Glass ceiling is yours to break

The majority of those polled (77%) say there’s a moderate (39%) or large (37%) divide between the financial compensation a man receives in a leadership role, compared to what they’d receive in same position.

On a regional basis, this disparity is more apparent in Ontario— 83% report a large or moderate divide. In fact, Atlantic Canada was the only region in Canada where more than one in 10 women (13%) said salary was equal for both men and women.

Moving up in the organization was also deemed more impossible for female execs, with 92% saying men were offered more opportunities for promotion. Men are also more likely to be asked to make decisions and often receive the best assignments from their managers.

Read: Women slipping down the corporate ladder: Briefly

Even when it comes to business travel, men and women are treated differently. More than four-out-of-five women (83%) say men are offered more travel opportunities.

“It’s clear there are many divisions experienced in the workplace,” says Vineberg. “The persistence of the glass ceiling makes it particularly difficult for organizations to hold on to their best and brightest women.”

Also read:

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Republicans vote against equal pay

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Involve all clients in long-term planning

Protect businesses from husbands

Stop talking down to women

How do children affect your career?

Advisor.ca staff

Staff

The staff of Advisor.ca have been covering news for financial advisors since 1998.