Fifteen Years of Wealth Disparities in Canada: New Trends or Simply the Status Quo?

Michelle Maroto

Canadian Public Policy, 2016, vol. 42, issue 2, 152-167

Abstract: Despite the importance of credit markets in determining well-being, research on wealth inequality across groups in Canada has been limited. To address this gap, this paper documents disparities in net worth and home ownership over the past 15 years using three waves of the Canadian Survey of Financial Security (1999, 2005, and 2012). Beyond providing a basic discussion of wealth inequality in Canada, this study also highlights wealth disparities by Aboriginal identity, immigrant status, education, and disability status. My findings show that although aggregate wealth inequality has remained stable over this period, disparities have continued to grow for certain disadvantaged groups. Family households with adult immigrants, people with disabilities, and those with less education held less in net worth even after accounting for differences in age, earnings, and inheritance. In addition, mediation models that demonstrate the indirect effects of group membership on net worth also show larger disparities over time.

Date: 2016
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