Overview of gender equality

Equality implies that women and men:

• have the same rights, responsibilities and opportunities  
• benefit equally from existing resources  
• share the burdens fairly

All without experiencing violence based on gender.

In Québec, women and men are equal in the eyes of the law. This is called equality in law. Since 1975, the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms  has enshrined the principle of gender equality in law and provided means to protect it, and several laws have been adopted over the years in efforts to achieve equality. However, even when the same rights are given to all, this does not guarantee equality in fact.

Also called true equality, equality in fact is the realization of equality in law. In Québec, true equality between the genders still has not been achieved. For example:

• Women have lower incomes than men and are more likely to live in poverty.
• There are fewer women than men in positions of power and in decision‑making positions.
• Women perform most of the household tasks, take on the majority of family responsibilities and are more often caregivers.
• They are the main victims of harassment and discrimination in the workplace.
• They represent the vast majority of victims of domestic violence, sexual violence and crimes against a person.

Women who are vulnerable due to various factors may experience more inequalities. Among them are women who are immigrants or racialized, Indigenous women, elderly women, women of sexual and gender diversity, and women living in poverty or with disabilities. In order to propose effective actions to achieve equality, it is therefore important to pay attention to the interaction between these different factors in women’s lives.

Violence against women stems from historically unequal power relations between women and men. It represents an issue that concerns the whole population. In Québec, countering violence is a good way to get a little closer to achieving gender equality in fact.

International Women’s Day (March 8) is an opportunity to highlight the many achievements in gender equality here and around the world, and to take stock of the challenges ahead. To discover the advances made in women’s rights in Québec, please consult l’historique de la condition féminine (in French only) (PDF 341 Kb).

For an overview of the situation regarding gender equality by region and population group, please visit the Statistical portraits web page.