More reasons for women to join unions

Statistics Canada has found that while the proportion of women with university degrees is growing substantially, the gendered pay gap that negatively affects women workers still exists, and isn't shrinking fast enough.

While more Canadian women hold university degrees than men, they continue to earn less money.

Statistics Canada released figures Tuesday showing that between 1991 and 2001, the proportion women aged 25 to 29 holding a university degree rose by more than half from 21 per cent to 34 per cent. During the same period, the number of young men holding a degree increased at a considerably slower pace, to 21 per cent from 16 per cent.

Despite the fact that more women have a university education, which generally leads to higher earnings, the wage gap between genders shrank by just two per cent over the 10 years.

In 1991, women earned 20 per cent less than men; by 2001, the gap had narrowed only slightly, to 18 per cent. Statistics Canada attributes the decline to the growing number of female degree-holders.

Luckily for women workers, unions are now operating under, or striving to operate under, the basis of equal pay for work of equal value. Most collective agreements don't distnguish between men and women.