Despite making up 97 per cent of dental hygienists and therapists in Canada, women earn, on average, 26 per cent less than men, according to a study released Monday detailing the imbalance in the dental workforce.
The study, published in the open-access, peer-reviewed journal BMC Health Services Research, noted that this significant disparity was largely unexplained in a decomposition analysis.
“We further found that, despite making up only 3 per cent of the dental hygienist workforce, male dental hygienists earn significantly more than their female counterparts,” the study states.
The study suggests that the “glass escalator” may be responsible for the disparity, referring to an observed pattern where men in female-dominated professions are more likely to receive promotions and other workplace rewards than their female colleagues.
The study also found geographic disparities. While 17 per cent of the population lives in rural and remote areas, only 10 per cent of dentists, 15 per cent of dental hygienists and 13 per cent of dental assistants practice in these areas. This results in a labour force-to-population ratio of 1.9 times higher for dentists in urban areas, 1.2 times higher for dental hygienists and 1.3 times higher for dental assistants than in rural areas.
Based on 2021 Census data, the study counted the active dental health workforce between the ages of 25 and 54, including 12,380 dentists, 20,885 dental hygienists and therapists, and 19,780 dental assistants.