FAQ — Stop the Party Gender Wage Gap

What you might be wondering

What is International Women’s Day?

International Women’s Day takes place annually on March 8 and is a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also serves as a day to lobby for accelerated gender parity.

Why stop the party?

While women’s achievements are absolutely worth celebrating, the lack of progress in achieving equal pay is not. We want to raise awareness with companies that the best way to commemorate International Women’s Day is not by toasting the women in their office for 20 minutes with pink cupcakes or champagne, but with a real, action-based commitment to close the wage gap.

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Is the gender wage gap really still an issue in Canada?

Yes. The wage gap is still significant and widespread in Canada, and it is not improving quickly enough. Comparing the annual earnings of full-time workers, women workers in Canada earned an average of 75 cents for every dollar earned by men.

Source: Canadian Women’s Foundation

Is the wage gap the same for all women?

No.

Indigenous women working full-time earn an average of 65 cents to the dollar vs non-Indigenous men.

Racialized women working full-time earn an average of 67 cents to the dollar vs non-racialized men.

Newcomer women working full time earn an average of 71 cents to the dollar vs non-newcomer men.

Source: Canadian Women’s Foundation

What is Equal Pay Day?

Equal Pay Day is the number of days into the next calendar year that women have to work to make what their male counterparts made the year before. In 2022, Equal Pay Day is April 12th, meaning that women had to work three additional months before they earned what men did in 2021.

Who can participate?

Companies: Every Canadian business is invited to take the Stop the Party pledge. The wage gap is a problem that affects all industries, professions and levels of seniority. We are only going to make meaningful change if we get all companies to act to change the system.

Individuals: Every and any Canadian is invited to become a Stop the Party advocate. Individuals make a huge difference and create change when they use their voice, network and resources to actively make a difference in the world.

When can I/we sign up?

You can sign up anytime between February 1st and March 31st for this year’s Pledge.

I’d like to sign my company up, but I’m not sure what I need to do.

That’s okay that you’re not sure where to start – the factors influencing the wage gap are multiple and complicated. Every company has its own unique DNA, which means different companies will create different action plans that work for them. Once you sign up, we will send helpful tips and resources to support you along the way – from how to approach your audit, to how to share your commitment and plan with your team.

How much time does my company have to complete each step of the pledge?

We want to make sure we don’t lose momentum, but we recognize it takes time to perform an audit and create an action plan. So, you have from the time you sign up through to March 8 next year to complete the three pledge steps. We will contact you early next year to confirm your company has completed the pledge prior to publishing this year’s Graduating Class. If you’re looking for a general guideline, we recommend aiming to complete steps 1 and 2 within the first 6 months, leaving enough time to track progress for step 3.

How will people know my company took the Stop the Party Pledge?

In a few ways:

We will list your company’s name (and corporate logo if you provide it) on the “See who pledged page” on this website. This page will be updated throughout March and the final list of pledgers will be posted in April 2022.
We will send you a Stop The Party logo that your company can use on its channels to promote its participation
By March 8, 2023 we will confirm if the companies that signed the pledge have met the criteria for the 2022 pledge and then promote them on our website and social media channels.

My company is already taking steps to ensure pay equity, can we still Stop the Party?

Yes! Please take the pledge and double check that none of the steps have been missed. We will contact you early next year to confirm prior to publishing our Graduating Class of 2022.