Advocacy & Issues 04/10/2025 April 10th, 2025, marks Equal Pay Day in Ontario—but it's more than just a date. It’s a stark reminder that gender inequality persists. This day symbolizes how far into the next year women must work, on average, to earn what men made in the previous year. But Equal Pay Day is not just about the wage gap—it’s also about the systemic issues that drive poverty and food insecurity for women and their children. The link between gender pay gap & food insecurity Single-parent households, which are predominantly led by women, face much higher rates of food insecurity. In 2023, nearly half (46%) of all female one-parent households in Canada couldn’t afford to put adequate, nourishing food on their tables. During the same period, half of these households earned less than $61,400 after taxes—nearly 15% below the national average. This data isn’t inclusive of gender-diverse people in Canada. According to 2021 data from Statistics Canada, non-binary people (21%), transgender men (12.9%), and transgender women (12.0%) experience poverty at much higher rates than cisgender women and cisgender men (both 8%). And currently, there is no national data on poverty among Two-Spirit People, people with intersex variations, and other often-overlooked gender minorities. But this isn’t just about lower incomes. Unequal pay for women is a deeply rooted issue influenced by gender biases, occupational segregation, and societal expectations. Women often face implicit bias in hiring and promotion decisions, and those in feminized fields tend to earn less than their male counterparts in higher-paying industries. The "motherhood penalty" further exacerbates the pay gap, as women with children are often perceived as less committed to their careers. Cultural norms and the lack of family-friendly policies, such as paid leave and flexible work arrangements, also contribute to ongoing inequality. For single mothers, the burden is even greater. Balancing caregiving responsibilities with employment is exhausting—and severely limits earning potential. As housing and living costs climb, these low wages leave little room for food. In Canada, 2.1 million children are growing up food insecure—and it's the poverty of women that drives much of this hunger. Intersectional burdens The challenges are even more pronounced for specific communities of women. In Ontario, the average pay gap for all women is a whopping 32%, but for Indigenous women, it’s 42%; Black women, 42%; women with disabilities, 43%; and Arab women, 47%. These figures aren’t just numbers—they reflect the ongoing systemic discrimination that keeps racialized and disabled women from accessing well-paying jobs, advance in their careers, and maintain financial security. This data doesn’t include gender-diverse people. In 2021, the Ontario Equal Pay Coalition used their own data to report that in Ontario, half of all trans and non-binary people earn less than $15,000/year, and transgender women experience a 30% wage drop after transitioning. For single mothers in these communities, the combination of lower wages, high living costs, and limited access to support systems makes food insecurity even more severe. Systemic barriers—from workplace discrimination to inadequate social safety nets—trap many women in a never-ending cycle of poverty. Paying bills while trying to keep one’s child properly fed and clothed feels like an impossible task in a society where the cost of living is more disconnected from wages than ever before. This relentless struggle makes it harder to make ends meet and achieve economic stability. Addressing the root causes To achieve food security, we must first address the root causes: economic inequality and the undervaluation of women’s contributions to society, including caregiving work. While food banks provide temporary relief for some, they obviously don’t solve the problem. Equal pay for equal work is essential to increasing incomes and achieving financial security among women. When women earn decent wages, they can provide their families with the essentials—including access to nutritious food. Equal pay is just the beginning. We also need policies that support mothers, such as affordable housing, enhancing employment insurance and parental leave programs, and more flexible work options. These measures, alongside equal pay, can help lift women and their families out of poverty. Strengthening income security programs, like the Canada Child Benefit and the newly introduced Canada Disability Benefit, would further address gender inequality. A Groceries and Essentials Benefit—a reimagined GST/HST credit—could also help reduce the financial burden on women and families, especially those struggling to put food on the table. Conclusion Gender inequality is a major driver of food insecurity for women and their children. Closing the pay gap won’t just help women provide for their families—it will help break the cycle of poverty and hunger that too many are trapped in. By demanding equal pay, fair compensation for feminized labour, and policies that support working mothers, we can build a society where all families have the opportunity to thrive. This Equal Pay Day, let’s remember that when women win, everyone wins.