From Monday 18 November New Zealand women are working for free until the end of the year because of the gender pay imbalance between men and women.
“The gender pay imbalance in the average wage is 11.9%. From 18 November there is 11.9% of the year left, so because women aren’t paid equally to men, they are now working for free until the end of the year,” said CTU Vice President Rachel Mackintosh.
“Ensuring everyone is paid fairly regardless of gender is not only possible, it is essential. Creating a more equal society requires a shift in values, it requires our society to value the contribution of everyone. Creating a values shift in our society requires leadership which is where our politicians come in. Our elected representatives can show they truly care about creating a more equal society with the passing of good law which breaks down the barriers to equal pay. We need the Government to pass the Equal Pay Amendment Bill and help make the gender pay imbalance in New Zealand a thing for the history books.”
“Pay inequality is even worse for Māori and Pasefika women – they started working for free on 12 October for Māori women (22.1% pay gap) and 29 September for Pacefika women (25.5%).”
“If the gender pay gap continues to close at the same rate it has since 1998, it will be 100 years – 2119 – until women are on average paid the same as men. It will take 36 years (to 2055) on the median wage trend,” Mackintosh said.