A Mount Allison University researcher has been looking around the world for ways to address problems in the community-based care sector, which is composed primarily of low-wage female workers.

Professor Rachelle Pascoe-Deslauriers partnered with the NB Coalition for Pay Equity for the research project.

She spoke to CHMA about the study ahead of the Valuing Care Work Summit, which took place on Friday at Mount Allison.

She said there's been little or no improvement in the sector since she launched the project in Jan. 2022, particularly as inflation hits the bottom line of low-wage workers.

Her study looked at places comparable to New Brunswick, with market economies, a mix of private and public service provision, and aging populations.

Those places include countries like England, Scotland, Wales, Australia and New Zealand, along with provinces including British Columbia, Manitoba and Nova Scotia.

The care sector includes people who look after seniors, people with disabilities, mental illnesses and others requiring support either at home or in residential facilities.

More than 11,000 workers in New Brunswick make up the community-based care sector, according to the NB Coalition for Pay Equity.

Poor working conditions in that sector have come under closer scrutiny following the arrival of COVID-19.

The care sector in this province is overwhelmingly made up of women whose wages range from $16.50 for special care home workers to $18.80 for family support workers.

The coalition states that wages should range from about $25 to $29 dollars per hour.

That calculation is based on principles of pay equity, defined as wages for female-dominated jobs that reach the same level as those in male-dominated jobs of comparable value.

Listen to the CHMA story below: