Several midwives celebrated this week after the province’s Human Rights Tribunal ruled in their favour.
The Association of Ontario Midwives (AOM) filed its application in 2013 with the tribunal, stating the province was using gender discrimination and gender-based bias in midwives’ pay and bargaining opportunities.
The tribunal’s ruling in favour of the AOM came down Monday evening, which identified that midwives have been discriminated against dating back to 2005.
Barrie resident Sara Stainton, a registered midwife for two decades, has been there every step of the way. She said she cried when Monday’s decision came down.
“I jumped around and screamed,” Stainton told BarrieToday. “This has been 20 years in the making. We just hit one wall after another. This is due to the patience, the strength and the sheer determination.”
Stainton says it’s not just about pay equity, but also what she calls “systemic discrimination.”
“To be continually discriminated against, that starts to affect you and how you see yourself in the health-care system,” she said. “You don’t feel as worthy.”
Midwives are primary health-care providers who offer on-call, around-the-clock care for low-risk women throughout normal pregnancy until their babies are up to six weeks old. They say the profession has shown excellent health outcomes, high levels of patient satisfaction and efficient use of health-care resources.
Stainton says there is also a high demand for their services, which are offered on direct referral, meaning you don’t have to go through your family doctor.
According to the AOM, women on average in Ontario earn only 71 cents compared to the male dollar. The association says the gap is "even more pronounced for women and trans or genderqueer people who face systemic injustice, especially those who are Indigenous, racialized, elderly, newcomers or those who have a disability." The pay equity gap for Ontario's most female-dominated profession, midwifery, is at least 48%.
Barrie resident Amy Nelson, who has been a midwife for four years, said the gender gap needs to be closed.
“It’s always difficult having to validate the work that we do,” Nelson said. “We work long hours, we deal with life and death, and we deserve to be paid accordingly for that.”
There are 13 midwives working at Barrie Midwives, which is located on Quarry Ridge Road behind Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre. There are also midwife practices in Orillia, Alliston, Collingwood, Midland and Muskoka.
Nelson called the tribunal’s ruling “historic” and a “landmark decision” that will help all people working female-dominated professions.
The next step is for the AOM to sit down with officials from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to hammer something out.
“We’d exhausted all the other avenues in terms of negotiation with the government,” Stainton said of choosing to file with the tribunal.
Stainton also hopes the tribunal’s ruling will help possibly bring more men into the profession. “I don’t think you need one set of genitals to be a good midwife,” she said.
Stainton led today’s rally with chants “Equal! Pay!”
“And I just want to point out that I have gone grey waiting for equal pay,” Stainton told those in attendance, alluding to her homemade sign.
Nelson said it today’s gathering was a huge boost.
“This is definitely a celebration, this is definitely a big deal,” Nelson said. “We’ve been validated for something we know has been going on for so long. Pay equity is a human right, so today is a call for action.”
