28 years of false promises since the Equal Pay Act, has women seeing red

“Despite legislation and assurances from the government, the gender pay gap has reduced to nothing more than 12%,” says Angela McLeod President, NZ Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPWNZ).

Today marks the day women start climbing out of economic deficit.

“Actually, if we look at the latest figures, the gender pay gap per hour worked in the last quarter of 2009 has increased to more like 13%”

BPW groups throughout the world have chosen equal pay day to highlight the gender pay gap and educate citizens about what this means to women and their families. BPWNZ are marking the day with a Red Bag Walking Bus, starting at Willis Street and ending at Parliament, the Ministers of Women’s Affairs and Labour were invited to attend but have not replied.

“The gender pay gap exists, it’s unfair and it’s unacceptable.”

In this current economic environment, women need a sound financial base to survive, pay the bills and look after their families.

“When you have women as the majority of graduates from tertiary institutions earning, on average, 8% less than their male counterparts at the end of their first year of employment and a hideous 14% less after 5 years, something’s wrong”

Women find it harder to pay back their student loans as a result, and the continuing inequity throughout their lives renders it difficult for them to build an effective economic base and can even leave them up to $400,000 worse off than men at retirement.

“If the government saw fit to reduce the gender pay gap, they would effectively be injecting billions of dollars in to the economy, creating jobs and bringing this country out of recession.

“Today”, says Mrs McLeod, “businesses and government need to listen to the women of New Zealand and reduce the gender pay gap”.

ENDS

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