| Year | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| percentage | ||
| Sources: Statistics Canada, Survey of Consumer Finances and Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics, CANSIM table 202-0802. | ||
| 1976 | 34.1 | 22.7 |
| 1977 | 34.7 | 25.0 |
| 1978 | 33.7 | 23.8 |
| 1979 | 31.1 | 19.6 |
| 1980 | 26.7 | 14.5 |
| 1981 | 26.3 | 14.2 |
| 1982 | 23.9 | 9.8 |
| 1983 | 24.6 | 12.6 |
| 1984 | 20.7 | 10.3 |
| 1985 | 19.3 | 8.4 |
| 1986 | 17.6 | 8.1 |
| 1987 | 16.7 | 7.2 |
| 1988 | 17.5 | 6.8 |
| 1989 | 15.1 | 6.1 |
| 1990 | 14.4 | 5.9 |
| 1991 | 14.6 | 6.6 |
| 1992 | 13.4 | 5.1 |
| 1993 | 14.1 | 6.2 |
| 1994 | 11.9 | 4.2 |
| 1995 | 12.3 | 4.0 |
| 1996 | 13.2 | 5.1 |
| 1997 | 11.7 | 5.5 |
| 1998 | 11.1 | 5.4 |
| 1999 | 10.4 | 4.8 |
| 2000 | 10.0 | 4.6 |
| 2001 | 8.3 | 4.6 |
| 2002 | 9.7 | 4.9 |
| 2003 | 8.7 | 4.4 |
| 2004 | 7.3 | 3.5 |
| 2005 | 8.4 | 3.4 |
| 2006 | 7.0 | 3.4 |
| 2007 | 6.1 | 3.3 |
| 2008 | 7.6 | 3.6 |