Gender pay gap at record low

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Gender pay gap at record low

3News NZ

The pay gap between men and women has reached an all time low (file)

The pay gap between men and women has reached an all time low (file)

 The pay gap between men and women has reached an all time low, latest statistics show.

Statistics NZ's income survey for the 12 months to June puts the gender gap at 9.3 percent, a decrease from 9.6 percent at the end of June last year. 

The gap is the lowest it has been since the survey began in 1997.

Elizabeth Bang of the National Council of Women in New Zealand says she hopes it is the start of a trend.

“It’s just the beginning,” she says.  “But I suppose it’s tracking down, that’s a really good thing, but we’ve got a long way to go yet.”

Ms Bang says having children is still an issue women in the workforce have to face.

“It’s always very difficult, because a lot of women are having children later, and have to work part-time, and most people don’t work in the jobs that will give them better pay.”

The Government in June launched a campaign to get more women into top jobs.

Backed by a group of leading business people, it aims to have women making up 25 per cent of company board members by 2015, which would be a significant increase on 9.3 percent.

3 News/NZN

 

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Comments

5/10/2012 3:09:10 p.m.

BRIAN LAKE wrote:

you just have to vote for us in 2014 to see it happen , like hell .i dont like a compulsive lair leading my country.

5/10/2012 12:32:08 p.m.

carole wrote:

Can I say woman are slowly moving forward but while the work force is committed to so many small companies and less larger companies they have no chance to move very quickly. Small companies have large over heads and don't want to pay so much even for men so a scrambled amount of workers try to hold onto what they have and tend not to move and increase the money situation. It doesn't always mean the educated do so well either as companies tend to look for what it calls value for money and that means people that will work for less. A larger company can retail better but with so many subsidies of smaller owned companies it turns it's self around. If we had say a supermarket controlled by one and a 100 shops not individual the pay would increase more with the workforce. While we have separated individual companies the choice of the companies are so vast it gives no addition to further the step ladder for a lot of people. The current rate per hour is good as Europe but then the higher educated end has to struggle and that includes a lot of woman. Perhaps the University's should put the students not just for a few weeks but a longer period to get work experience because that is the problem and that includes woman and men. As soon as they start to study a reform of work should be allocated so as they get experience and can offer later when finalised.