A Woman’s Place in Pay Equity: Conversations with Ontario Pay Equity Commissioner Kady Ward

The historic devaluation of women’s traditional work has been a consistent, tragic misconstruction of the worth of work. Gendered work leaves labourers vulnerable to biased compensation.  

Kady Ward, a Western alumna and Commissioner and CAO of Ontario’s Pay Equity Commission, has spent her career amplifying a more accurate narrative of what women have always brought to the table. 

During her talk at Brescia University College, Ward took her audience through the fascinating history of how work became gendered, starting with the invention of the plow. For those unfamiliar with the impacts of this invention, Ward says it “shifted the way we lived and broke the 50/50 setup,” which “created gendered roles” that we know today. 

From the historical summary, Ward showed the audience how the impacts of gendered roles reached beyond the workforce to the stories we are socialized with about women. 

Ward provided the example of the story told of the biblical figure Eve, a story usually related to disobedience, weakness, deception, and evil. Ward challenges this view by saying, “The story of being the downfall of humanity is not Eve’s story.” Instead, Ward suggests refocusing on the idea that “she took a bite and gained consciousness,” giving a context that Eve’s story celebrates the desire for knowledge. Ward suggests that refocusing can be applied to many other historical female figures.

To further the conversation, the Buzz asked Ward a few questions, found below:

What are some tangible actions Brescia could take against wage discrimination as a women’s university? 

“I think one, educating students on just the importance of understanding their value, understanding their worth, and negotiating for proper wages.” 

Can you discuss the role of voting in eliminating wage discrimination? 

“Oh, this is a great question. With the election coming up, I think we have seen that statistically, women elected officials take into account broader perspectives, and I think if you have the opportunity and if it makes sense, we need to get more women in politics and more women in elected positions, in order to have our views represented.”

What do these policies and actions look like for gender nonconforming or nonbinary folks? 

“Our act absolutely applies to gender nonconforming and nonbinary [folks] because we look at the gender of a job class, which means jobs have been stereotyped as male or female, and we look at the individual job class that they’re occupying and not the gender of the individual, so it applies to everyone.” 

Have you experienced any wage discrimination in your career? 

“Absolutely; I mean, I remember my second major job, coming into it and trying to negotiate. I was a junior manager speaking to a senior manager, and our salary discrepancies, he was an older man, were just outrageous. I stuck to it, and over time, I achieved a higher, or I would say, equitable salary. But I think women need to be aware to find out what the average is; find out what your colleagues are making, don’t be shy to ask, and then advocate for yourself. 

What can students do to actively work towards pay equity and ensure they’re fairly compensated in their professional endeavours?

“It’s sort of a repetition but to educate themselves, ask questions, and understand their worth. I think students, especially young women, often undervalue what they bring to the table, so really think about the skills and the assets, the tangible and the intangible things you bring that provide the employer value.”

A special thank you to Ward for sharing insights with the Buzz, tirelessly advocating for pay equity in Ontario, and delivering such an exciting talk at Brescia on Wednesday, October 19th.