Class, Gender and Ethnic Income Inequalities in 1973 and 1984: Findings from the Canadian National Surveys

Abstract

This paper utilizes two sets of Canadian cross-sectional data collected in 1973 and 1984 for the purpose of evaluating competing theoretical explanations of the level, structure, and process of income inequalities within and between social classes and language and gender groups. The analysis shows a wide income gap between social classes both in 1973 and 1984. The income gaps between males and females are also large. The income gaps between Anglophones and Francophones tend to be much smaller than between class categories and gender groups in 1973, and more so in 1984. The greatest improvement in income disparities seems to come from less discriminatory pay structures and exploitation, not from human capital and individual characteristics.