For decades, the gender wage gap has hindered many women’s career advancement and financial independence.

In Canada, women earn an average of just 74 cents to every dollar men earn, according to the Canadian Women’s Foundation. And while that pay disparity has pained women for generations, the latest issue of Canadian news magazine Maclean’s is hitting men with this hard truth where it hurts — their wallets.

The magazine’s March issue is on stands now with two different covers and two different prices — CAD$8.81 for men and CAD$6.99 for women, CBC news reported.

The two differing cover costs are intended to “stir urgent conversation” about the gender wage gap and gender-based discrimination in the workplace, in response to the rise of the #MeToo movement and recent highly publicized cases of pay inequality — including at the BBC, Google, and in Hollywood.

Read more: 4 Top Male BBC Presenters Just Agreed to a Pay Cut for Gender Equality

By setting two prices, Maclean’s is making a bold statement, though the magazine acknowledges it’s not a perfect one, and that it is only able to highlight the issue of pay discrimination against women with this effort.

“Of course, setting a two-tiered magazine price for men and women reduces the complexity of gender at a time when society is only beginning to understand and embrace it,” the magazine said. “Readers can of course choose to pay whichever cover price they want...Research into the transgender pay gap is just beginning, but we know the gap is largest for women of colour and Indigenous women.”

So in order to support these marginalized groups, the magazine has also said it will donate the profit of the price difference to a non-profit organization that invests in education for Indigenous people in Canada called Indspire to help fund a scholarship for an Indigenous woman.

Take Action: Sign the petition calling on influential companies to support women-owned businesses.

While some have criticized Maclean’s awareness-raising effort on social media, others have applauded it.

Global Citizen campaigns to eliminate all forms of discrimination, including gender-based discrimination. You can take action here to help close the gender gap and call on companies support women-owned businesses.

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Why The Price of This Magazine Depends on Who’s Buying It

Ein Beitrag von Daniele Selby