Investigating Gender Differences in Income

Downloadable versions of this lesson are available in the following formats:

(RTF (text), PDF)

Overview

In this lesson, students will investigate the relationship between a person’s sex (male or female) and their average employment income. Students will retrieve data from Statistics Canada’s E-STAT database and create scatter plots. Then they will analyse the similarities and differences between two scatter plots (comparing data for provinces/territories and large urban centres) and use informal methods to determine the equations of lines of best fit.

Contributors: David Reed, Queen’s University; Jennifer Hall and Joel Yan, Statistics Canada

Objectives

• Interpret the meanings of points on scatter plots
• Describe trends and relationships observed in data
• Determine an approximate formula that relates two variables
• Determine the equation of a line of best fit for a scatter plot
• Discuss social justice issues regarding income inequities between the sexes

Suggested grade levels and subject areas

Grade 9
Mathematics

Duration

One to two 75 minute periods

Materials

Computers with Internet access
Computer projector
Student instructions
Student worksheet
Student worksheet – Teacher version
Teacher resource – E-STAT graphs

Resources

Articles from The Daily

• Rising education of women and the gender earnings gap – Tuesday, June 12, 2007
• Wage differences between male and female university professors – Friday, December 8, 2006
• Wives as primary breadwinners – Wednesday, August 23, 2006
• Women in Canada – Tuesday, March 7, 2006
• Gender pay differentials: Impact of the workplace – Wednesday, June 19, 2002
• The wage gap between men and women – Monday, December 20, 1999

Articles from Perspectives on Labour and Income

• Has higher education among young women substantially reduced the gender gap in employment and earnings? – June 12, 2007
• Converging gender roles – July 19, 2006
• The male-female wage gap – December 17, 2001

Prior Knowledge

Linear equation in slope-intercept (y = mx + b) form
Slope equation

Scatter plots
Line of best fit
Basic knowledge of E-STAT

Classroom Instructions

1. Review key concepts related to linear relations (e.g., scatter plots, lines of best fit, linear equation in slope-intercept form, slope equation).
2. Using a computer projector, demonstrate the important features of E-STAT (http://www.statcan.gc.ca/estat/licence-eng.htm).
3. Hold a brief class discussion about income differences between the sexes. Assess the students’ prior knowledge of this social justice issue and discuss the reasons why these income differences may exist.
4. Distribute the E-STAT instructions and Student worksheet and have students complete the lesson independently or in pairs.

Enrichment

Have students import the data into a statistical software program or graphing calculator in order to create a scatter plot and determine a line of best fit. Students can then compare the software-generated line of best fit with their estimated line of best fit and discuss any differences.

Have students repeat this process to create a scatter plot for a specific large urban centre near their home. (In Part 2 of the E-STAT instructions, under 5) On the Selection page, students would select a nearby urban centre for Part 1: Select a geographic region). Students can then compare this software-generated scatter plot to the other scatter plots they created previously. If there are any differences, they can research reasons for the differences.

Have students compare the data on employment income from the 2001, 1996, and/or 1991 censuses with the data from the 2006 Census. If there are differences in the scatter plots, the students can research reasons for the differences. (See Teacher resource for graphs of the 2001, 1996, and 1991 Census data.)

Have students read and summarize the findings of the articles listed under ‘Resources’.

Have students create a scatter plot using data on another topic of their choice, selected from any of the census years available in E-STAT. Again, ask students to find the equation of the line of best fit and to describe any trends and relationships in the data.

Evaluation

Students’ work habits and computer skills can be assessed informally throughout this activity.  They can be assessed more formally through the worksheet, using a marking scheme of the teacher’s choice.