8 Jobs in Canada That Women Are Dominating (and 3 on the Rise)

The gender pay gap is still very real — and that’s depressing as hell. A woman can do anything she wants, do just about anything a man can do, but her paycheque might never reflect that. That’s a dismal statement to write in 2018 but it’s also a sad fact. Yes, there are changes and policies and laws that are in the work but we still have a long way to go.

That being said, there are loads of jobs at which women are kicking ass. Whether it’s because we have more to prove, have more at stake, or are simply just that awesome, it doesn’t matter. All you need to know is women rock, at whatever they set their mind to. We looked at various salaries and the ratio of females to males in some positions based on information from PayScale; some jobs you might’ve known, others might surprise.

Female nurse practitioner looking at tablet

Getty Images

1 / 11

Nurse practitioner

NPs are registered nurses who perform many of the same functions as licensed physicians, as they've pursued education into the post-graduate level of medical study, and are able to treat and diagnose diseases and conditions and prescribe medicines. Excellent social skills are required, as is extreme patience and a calm, care-giving demeanor. Women rule here, taking up 87% of the jobs, in Canada. Nurse practitioners earn as much as $110,773 yearly and average just a little less, with an $88,034 annual salary.

RELATED: The highest paying jobs in Canada for Generation Z.

Woman with stethoscope around neck sitting in patient room

Getty Images

2 / 11

Healthcare consultant

The roles are typically employed by large, private healthcare organizations and healthcare consultants are required to work with clients and conduct research to identify problems, research possible solutions and convey those solutions to managers and supervisors. You need to be a critical thinker, independent worker and good communicator. Females comprise 77% of the industry and earn an average salary of $72,656 in Canada but can earn up to $118,306 a year.

Getty Images

3 / 11

Police, fire or ambulance dispatcher

"911, what's your emergency?" seems like an easy enough question to ask but it's how a situation is dealt with that makes a decent dispatcher an excellent one. You need to be great under pressure as emergency calls are received by phone, radio system or computer-aided dispatch system. They need to get as much information out of a caller as possible in a quick amount of time in order to determine an appropriate course of action. Women make up 73% of the industry and can average $25.60 an hour (or earn up as much as $83,703 annually) working as Police, fire or ambulance dispatchers in Canada.

Getty Images

4 / 11

Financial controller

Also known as a comptroller, a financial controller must manage the financial departments of a company, from producing critical reports, profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and financial prospectuses. Obviously a high level of mathematics and problem solving are a priority but superior communication skills are equally important. Women make up 64% of the roles in Canada and they can make up to $116,426 annually, but typically average $77,951 a year.

RELATED: These are the best careers for women in tech.

Getty Images

5 / 11

Pharmacist

Working primarily for pharmacies and drugstores, pharmacists fill prescriptions from doctors and dispense drugs directly to patients. Attention to detail is important as are oral and written communication skills. Women comprise 57% of the jobs out there, averaging $45.22 an hour, or $82,679 a year, though some can earn a salary of up to $114,951, making it one of the highest-paying in-demand jobs in Canada for women and around.

Woman and older couple in front of modern house

Getty Images

6 / 11

Realtor

Buying and selling homes can be lucrative and since it's commission-based, one needs to work hard. At 55%, women make up more than half the industry in Canada, and can make as much as $147,949 a year, though the average salary is $55,444.

Woman making finishing touches for event in meeting room

Getty Images

7 / 11

Hotel general manager

There are loads of responsibilities that come with a hotel general manager job in Canada, from keeping finances in order and event-planning, to budgeting for building renovations and hiring and firing employees, not to mention overseeing the entire workings of the hotel. Women now make up just over half the jobs in this industry, at 52% in Canada, and earn an average salary of $65,070 — though one can make up to $103,184 as a hotel general manager annually.

Getty Images

8 / 11

Professor, post-secondary/higher education

The job of a professor at the post-secondary or higher education level is a doozy, consisting of lecturing and teaching students and working with them to develop research, dissertations, or thesis-based papers. A professor also must be able to perform research, collect and analyze data, grade exams and papers, and have the ability to communicate and work well with students. It can be mentally challenging and time-consuming but the results are so satisfying, as are the paycheques. The average salary is $90,242 a year but professors can make almost double that, at $172,661 and with women making up 47% of the field right now in Canada, that makes it that much more gratifying.

Want more Canadian job info? Don't miss 20 jobs in Canada that pay over $200,000.

Woman looking at blueprints outside building under construction

Getty Images

9 / 11

Construction project manager

The project manager at a building site oversees various projects, from estimating, carrying out quality control, creating employee schedules and project completion schedules, reviewing designs, creating proposals and working with clients and her crew. It takes someone with exceptional time management abilities who also possesses excellent leadership and communication skills so, basically, every woman (though only 19% of us make up the industry). The average salary is $74,597 but one can make up to $117,447 a year in Canada. Over the last decade, the number of women in this field has steadily increased, and the jobs remain in high demand.

Woman wearing hardhat on phone in building under construction

Getty Images

10 / 11

Civil engineer

While many engineering jobs are dominated by men, those in civil engineering — which consists of designing, planning and/or managing construction projects — can be in the structural, environmental or transportation sectors, and range from small-scale projects, like building or bridge repairs, to large-scale such as constructing large stadiums. Civil engineering gigs for women are ever-increasing, with 18% of the jobs now held by females — and it's only getting brighter, especially considering the job can pay up to $101,984 in Canada (though the average is $64,429).

Getty Images

11 / 11

Welder

It's a physically strenuous job in a work environment that can constantly be changing — though that is up to you — and have the ability to work independently. Women comprise only 6% of the trade; perhaps because there's that belief that gals aren't as strong as boys but females work smarter, more meticulously and our attention to detail is more finessed. Depending on where you are contracted, one can make up to $84,423 or average $23.03 an hour. But along with sweet paydays, tradespeople are increasingly in demand. With hundreds of thousands of skilled workers set to retire in the next decade or so, there's going to be a huge demand for newbies and we're betting the percentage of women will continue to grow here.