A stock image of women at work.
A stock image of women at work. Credit: LinkedIn / Unsplash Credit: LinkedIn / Unsplash

Single mothers’ wages are falling behind, new data shows. Mothers in one-parent families who never married had an employment rate of 61 per cent in 2023, an increase from the 41 per cent employment rate in 1997, Statistics Canada data shows. Despite gains in finding employment, hourly wages for single mothers in 2023 were 19 per cent lower than wages for partnered mothers. This is a disparity that has little changed since 1997.

The Liberal government is dedicated to gender equality and supporting parents, said spokesperson for the office of the minister for women and gender equality, Carolyn Svonkin. Measures to advance equality include the rollout of a Canada-wide system of affordable early childcare and pay equity in federally regulated sectors.

Many women are willing and able to join the labour force but feel unable to do so. Women—particularly those who are single parents—are more likely to work part-time and to experience interruptions in their careers because of unpaid care responsibilities, said Svonkin. She said women are also underrepresented in higher-paying fields and in leadership positions.

Meseret Haileyesus, a single mother living in Ottawa, said the early days of her career were difficult. Higher-paying jobs seemed to have schedules that were incompatible with her responsibilities as a lone parent, she said.

In 2016, Haileyesus’ job required a lot of travel, and she could not afford childcare. To stay employed, she would take her daughter—no older than eight at the time—from hotel room to hotel room to remain employed.

“Taking your child in the meeting spaces while she’s crying, with her lunch box and her iPad, going from hotel to hotel, begging people to take care of your children, it really, really sucks,” Haileyesus said.

Now, Haileyesus is the CEO for the Canadian Centre for Women’s Empowerment. She highlighted the freedom, economic independence and empowerment that comes from having access to the labour market and livable wages. 

“When women are empowered, we are empowering the community. We’re empowering the children, and we are breaking the cycle of poverty,” Haileyesus said. 

She emphasized that affordable childcare is an important step towards improving participation rates of women and advancing justice. 

Still, a universal affordable childcare system is still being rolled out and many families must contend with high childcare costs in the meantime. 

Of the lone parents who cannot afford childcare, many do not have options to bring their child to work. As such, these parents are put in a position where only part-time work is viable. Labour leaders say this only exacerbates labour shortages in sectors where jobs are predominantly full-time.

“If you’re forced to say no to a job, then the employer is now short a person and a skill. The parent had to choose a different type of job that doesn’t utilize their skills solely because of their ability to access the work,” said Siobhan Vipond, executive vice-president of the Canadian Labour Congress. “There is an economic cost to that.”

Women’s increased participation in the workforce has contributed to one-third of Canada’s economic growth over the past 40 years, said Svonkin. She added that supporting equal opportunities for women in the workplace could add $150 billion to GDP by 2026.

“Advancing gender equality benefits everyone and boosts Canada’s economic growth,” Svonkin said. “Ultimately, we believe that achieving gender equality requires ongoing investment, and we are strongly committed to empowering all women, including single mothers, to achieve economic independence and thrive in their chosen care.”

Gabriela Calugay-Casuga

Gabriela “Gabby” Calugay-Casuga (she/they) is a writer and activist based in so-called “Ottawa.” They began writing for Migrante Ottawa’s radio show, Talakayang Bayan, in 2017. Since then, she...