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The Widening Gap: Gender Segregation and Job Polarization in the Post-Pandemic Labour Market

Resource type
Author/contributor
Title
The Widening Gap: Gender Segregation and Job Polarization in the Post-Pandemic Labour Market
Abstract
Over the past 50 years, women in Canada have made substantial gains in employment and earnings, supported by greater participation in full-time work, higher education levels, and movement into professional and unionized jobs. Despite this progress, major gender inequalities persist. Women—especially mothers of young children, caregivers, women with fewer years of formal schooling, and those facing overlapping forms of discrimination—remain concentrated in lower-paid occupations rooted in traditional gender roles. Persistent occupational segregation is a key contributor to Canada’s large gender pay gap and to rising inequality among women themselves. The employment recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic opened the door to change for some female workers, but as this study finds, not for Canada’s largely female and racialized low-waged workforce.
Institution
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Place
Ottawa
Date
2026
Pages
35 pages
Accessed
1/22/26, 3:40 PM
Language
English
Citation
Scott, K. (2026). The Widening Gap: Gender Segregation and Job Polarization in the Post-Pandemic Labour Market (p. 35 pages). Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/the-widening-gap-gender-segregation-and-job-polarization-in-the-post-pandemic-labour-market/