Document reveals gender pay gap in CBC

Reportedly most employment categories listed in a recent CBC disclosure document, male editors, managers and producers, also make more than their female counterparts.

Exceptions are female reporters who make on average almost 3.5 per cent more than men in the same role.

The data was released in response to a request made under the Access to Information Act by a University of Ottawa academic.

Even if some of the differences in the average remuneration for male and female staff were reportedly explained by their length of tenure in each “pay band”, or unionized salary category, the most significant source of the disparity is due to what the CBC calls “addrem”, or additional remuneration.

Sonya Fatah, an assistant professor at the Ryerson School of Journalism, said, “Research shows that women shy away from negotiating for higher pay not because they lack confidence but because they may suffer the social cost of entering negotiations, whether those negotiations fail or succeed.”

In contrast to a number of other Canadian media companies, women occupy many of the top jobs at the CBC, including the heads of English-language services, news and TV programming.

Reportedly Catherine Tait will become the broadcaster’s first female president when she takes over in July.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)