Social policy at work? Equality and equity in women's paid employment in Canada

Under mounting pressure from women, Canada introduced employment policies to address the gender wage gap and women's access to a wider range of jobs. The policies were generally introduced between the late 1970s and early 1990s. Over time these policies have shifted from focusing on equality to emphasising equity. Two pivotal policies are pay equity and employment equity. In the end, the impact of these policies is difficult to assess. Keeping the European situation in mind we argue that they be considered as a component of broader changes rather than as specific causes of improving the situation of women in the Canadian labour market. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.