Human Rights Commission
Media release
6 March 2008

Double whammy for women in recession

While every New Zealander is concerned about job security as the economic recession bites, women suffer a double whammy because of the gender pay gap says the Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Dr Judy McGregor, in an address to be delivered on International Women’s Day, Sunday, 8 March.

For every $1 earned by men in New Zealand today, women earn just 88 cents or 12 per cent less. Many Māori and Pacific women have poorer economic outcomes.

Dr McGregor said, “Many women in low paid jobs are concerned about calls from the recent job summit for shorter working weeks, fewer paid hours and nine day fortnights because of the effect on household incomes.

“Any potential loss of earnings for lower paid workers, many of whom are women, will be unacceptable to them because they won’t be able to pay their bills.”

The Human Rights Commission in its report on New Zealand’s Human Rights Performance has called for the Government to set a minimum target of halving the gender pay gap by 2012 and eliminating it by 2020.

The Commission’s report is part of the first Universal Periodic review of New Zealand at the United Nations in May in Geneva.

The gender pay gap is referred to as a concern in the 2008 US Department of State’s Human Rights Report on New Zealand. At the United Nations the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has specifically asked the Government to monitor the measures taken to close the wage gap between men and women and the results achieved in the public and private sectors. The Committee wants the Government to report to it in the next review to the United Nations.

ENDS