If you're a woman in Montreal and are looking for a better life, a new study suggests you try Gatineau or Victoria, British Columbia.
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released its list of the 25 best Canadian cities to be a woman, Montreal ranked 15.
While the study found cities in Quebec typically outperform the rest of Canada in the economic sphere, they fall near the bottom when it comes to promoting women in the private sector.
Researchers looked at the differences between men's and women's access to economic and personal security, education, health and positions of leadership. The top performer, despite a downward trend in its wage gap, was Victoria B.C.
The CCPA found Victoria is the only city on the list where more women than men are employed, and make up close to half of senior managers and the city's elected officials.
In Montreal women filled up one-third of both elected and management positions, a downward trend compared to the previous year.
The wage gap in Victoria fell, albeit slightly, with women earning 73 per cent of what their male counterparts do; on par with the rest of Canada.
Windsor, Ontario, a city with one of the smaller wage gaps at 75 per cent, ranked last on the list. While women may earn slightly more the study shows women make up just 23 per cent of elected officials and currently hold 34 per cent of senior management positions. Researchers also found women are more likely living below the poverty line than men.
"Statistics will never be a substitute for the full experience of lives lived. But as signposts they mark the spot where more attention is needed from our political leaders and policy-makers," says study author Kate McInturff, a senior researcher at CCPA. "We hope they follow through."
CCPA researchers also found sexual to be the only violent crime not declining in Canada, with every city in the country reporting high rates of sexual and domestic violence.
With files from the Canadian Press
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The CCPA's 25 best Canadian cities to be a woman:
1. Victoria
2. Gatineau
3. Hamilton
4. Kingston
5. Vancouver
6. Quebec City
7. St. John's
8. Sherbrooke
9. Halifax
10. Toronto
11. Ottawa
12. London
13. Kelowna
14. Abbotsford-Mission
15. Montreal
16. St. Catharines-Niagara
17. Winnipeg
18. Edmonton
19. Saskatoon
20. Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo
21. Regina
22. Calgary
23. Barrie
24. Oshawa
25. Windsor