Close the wage gap by creating a province-wide child care program

Posted on August 29, 2016 in Child & Family Policy Context

TheStar.com – Opinion/Editorials – Premier Kathleen Wynne should heed a committee’s call for Ontario to invest in a province-wide licenced child care program to close the wage gap between men and women.
Aug. 29, 2016.   Editorial

The directive couldn’t have been clearer. Two years ago Premier Kathleen Wynne ordered Labour Minister Kevin Flynn and Women’s Issues Minister Tracy MacCharles to work together to “develop a wage gap strategy that will close the gap between men and women.” There were no ifs, ands, or buts. The premier seemed to mean business.

Now a committee the two ministers struck last fall to find ways to close the 29-per-cent gulf between men’s and women’s pay in Ontario has reported.

Its No. 1 recommendation? Ontario must commit to an affordable and publicly funded geared-to-income child-care program if it hopes to make a dent in the pay gap.

That’s a tall order for a provincial government facing a $4.3-billion deficit — especially given that Ottawa’s plans to invest in child-care remain unclear. But it’s something Wynne should pursue anyway for several important reasons.

First is the task force’s clear and compelling conclusion that out of all the steps necessary to close the wage gap, providing licenced child-care spaces is the one that would have the biggest impact. Women who don’t have access to affordable day care take on more of the unpaid child care than men and have less time for paid work, the task force found.

Second, getting women out into the work force is important not just for women. The whole province benefits. The task force found that every dollar invested in child care adds $2.47 to the Ontario economy. Indeed, a Royal Bank study estimated personal incomes would be $168 billion higher each year in Canada if women had the same labour market opportunities as men.

Third, early childhood education pays off for kids — and reduces spending on social programs down the road. A 2014 report by the Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development says it reduces inequalities that result from poverty and decreases the number of children in special education classes by identifying problems and intervening early.

And a 2014 study from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada argued that not having an early childhood education program in place actually put the health and well-being of children at risk. More than a quarter of Canadian children currently start kindergarten vulnerable in at least one area of development, the college says. That’s something that could affect them for the rest of their lives.

Nor would Wynne be going out on a limb if she were to invest more in a province-wide child care program. Quebec, for example, invests 1.2 per cent of its gross domestic product on early childhood education, while Ontario only spends 0.6 per cent. (The task force report recommends Ontario commit to 1 per cent.)

Wynne has proven she is not afraid to take on big projects. Consider her vow to create an Ontario pension plan from scratch when the Harper government wouldn’t commit to boosting the federal pension plan. That gambit pressured the Trudeau government to step in where its predecessor would not. An Ontario child-care initiative could have the same effect.

Wynne has already given encouraging signs that she is committed to increasing the availability of early childhood education. Last week she created a new child-care cabinet portfolio, and appointed Indira Naidoo-Harris to the post. “Access to high-quality, affordable child care is essential to Ontario families,” Wynne said then.

She’s right. As the Star has argued before, no single move by governments would make such a big difference in the lives of women and families as a comprehensive plan to provide quality, affordable child care. Wynne should redouble her bold commitment to close the wage gap by following her committee’s top recommendation this fall.

< https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2016/08/29/close-the-wage-gap-by-creating-a-province-wide-child-care-program-editorial.html >

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One Response to “Close the wage gap by creating a province-wide child care program”

  1. Alex Holmes says:

    To the Toronto Star,

    I fully support this decision to address more affordable and quality childcare as a means of closing the gender wage gap. The strategy not only addresses the aspect from an economic point, which is perhaps the strongest merits of its strategy as a report, but also seeks to address the gap at a human rights level as well. Having reviewed the report it’s statistical merits addressing economic benefit alone, should be enough to address such an issue, which the royal bank of Canada has listed as a loss of $168 billion annually, if failure to address such a gap continues. This student would argue that there is also merit to look at the education system and stereotypes that lead to women’s lack of participation in certain fields dominated by men, as well as better career guidance at base levels of education. Addressing the fact that particular fields, most notably, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), need to be including more women is certainly another way we as Ontarian society can address the Gender Wage Gap effectively, as these fields as a whole are paid more than certain positions most notably and stereotypically held by women. Through provision of more information and encouraging women to participate in these fields where there has shown to be need, increases economic output, and thus minimizes the gender wage gap continuing the fight for equality. It is also shown in research that one of the best ways to have more women pursuing jobs that males have typically dominated is by having improved career guidance. If we as a society are able to tackle this issue from a more grass roots level, reducing stigma as well as stereotypical views of male dominated fields and educating young women and providing more choice for success, we could potentially have a stronger and more well rounded society and economy.

    Alex Holmes

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