From Suffrage to Sufferance

16 September 2009

Embargoed until 19 September

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From Suffrage to Sufferance

The history of women’s suffrage and progression has taken an inordinant amount of time to reach fruitition and is stymied with history repeating itself, says the National Council of Women of New Zealand (NCWNZ).

Whether we consider the first call in British history for women to receive the vote by the Leveller women (1649), or the first published article (1869) in New Zealand by Mary Ann Müller appealling to the men of New Zealand to give women the vote; for the vast majority of women such ambitions were not achieved in their lifetimes.

“On the 19th of September we celebrate Suffrage Day – New Zealand women being the first to gain the vote one hundred and sixteen years ago,” said Elizabeth Bang, NCWNZ National President. “But today, we mark this day as the drawing of the line in the sand which ushers in the acceleration of women progressing to meet men on equal standing in all facets of life in New Zealand, irrespective of a recessive economic environment.”

During the Depression of the 1930’s, NCWNZ records the role of women was generally seen as secondary, supportive, family-focused – ‘making ends met’. The position of working women, and especially unemployed women, was largely ignored in the national records. The proposed Unemployment Bill of 1930 made no provision for women.

NCWNZ women stated:

“That the freedom to live and develop along the lines of their natural aptitude and choice is the birthright of both men and women.

That the attempt bow being made to adjust economic difficulty by discharging women from lucrative employment is a denial of this birthright and presents only a false solution of the economic problem.”

NCWNZ protested sharply against the policy of banning married women from employment in teaching and they asked especially for women to be included in the Unemployment Act. NCWNZ branches around the country set up initiatives ranging from:

• The first enumeration and classification of unemployed women and girls
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• Setting up training schemes and establishing a Women’s Employment Centre, which serviced the delivery of meals to needy families and the elderly
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• Co-operating with local Authorities in Dunedin to provide food, which was said to have forestalled the food riots in 1932
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• Developed a range of policy recommendations for Government to support employment of women
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During the current recession, women have again been the first to loose their jobs and are continuing to loose their jobs at a faster rate than men. Women made recently unemployed with employed partners are not eligible for an unemployment benefit, negating again their economic independence. Partnered or married women who work on a seasonal or contracted basis, and find that the contract work is no longer available, again are ineligible for unemployment assistance and are the invisible population which falls between the cracks of the national statistical record.

Some members of the Council have been frustrated by the cessation of the Pay and Employment Equity Unit; they were also frustrated by the lack of initiatives for women’s employment arising from the Job Summit held earlier this year. Many believe that the cutting of the Units work was a cost-saving exercise in response to the recession.

“We signalled that the matter of equal pay for equal work has been on our books since 1896 and that the time for its resolution was well and truly due, and for us it is back on the agenda,” said Elizabeth Bang.

As in the last major depression, NCWNZ announced two initiatives internally to address women’s employment:

• Members were invited to provide ideas about how women might address employment during this recession.
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• Branches were encouraged to submit the details of women’s businesses, as well as skilled and professional women who needed to promote themselves, for advertising on the NCWNZ website for no charge.
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“We saw both initiatives as ‘women supporting women’ during these rocky times,” said Elizabeth Bang. “These were the easiest ideas for us to initiate within our own limited resource base in the shortest possible time.”

“As demonstrated in the 1930’s, education and training helped to revitalise the economy and get women employed once more,” said Elizabeth Bang. “The cut to funding of Adult Community Education lessens the options for people to retrain and seek alternative employment; it is contrary to enabling economic recovery and it is women particularly who will loose out.”

NCWNZ has engaged the Minister of Education on this matter a couple of times and has, like most organisations been told that the budget does not stretch far enough to ensure all courses can be maintained.

“Some educators are looking at taking a cut in their salary if it will ensure the course continues for another term or two,” said Elizabeth Bang. “We do not support people sacrificing their own financial sustainability; we believe that the sacrifice by providers and the outrage displayed by the users of these education services should be enough to prompt a most prudent budget bid to resolve the situation.”

The NCWNZ National Executive; leaders of Branches, affiliated Nationally Organised Societies and National Members, and elected officers, is currently meeting in Wellington for its three day Annual General Meeting. The theme for the meeting is “Ensuring Women Count”, which will focus on the financial sustainability of women. Financial Sustainability is defined as having the means to have insurance; life, health, accident, property, work insurance, and it is about having the means to save for retirement. It is the expansion of paid parental leave and it encapsulates pay equity, and the gender gap.

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