Young Labour: Widening pay gap indicative of National’s lack of commitment to gender equity

Young Labour is appalled that the latest figures from the Quarterly Employment Survey show that the Gender Pay Gap has widened under the National Government, meaning that women in New Zealand only earn on average 87 cents for every dollar earned by men.

"The Quarterly Employment Survey, which Statistics New Zealand released yesterday, indicated that the Gender Pay Gap has increased from 11.94% in March 2009 to 12.81% in just over a year. This is totally unacceptable" said Young Labour Women's Representative Caitlin Merriman.

Merriman attributes the "outrageous increase in the pay gap" to the National Government's decision to close down the Pay and Employment Equity Unit in June 2009.

"The Government has shown no interest in addressing the inequalities in the workforce which adversely affect real women every day."

Merriman also heavily criticised Minister for Women's Affairs Pansy Wong for her lack of interest in the Women’s Affairs Portfolio.
"The Minister clearly has no interest in working to improve the lives of women in New Zealand, as she showed in her declaration last year that the Ministry was a purely 'aspirational' body."

"In her nearly two years as Minister, Wong has done little more than revisit old research. She is doing nothing to remedy the devaluing of women in the workforce."

"I'm not sure what it is the Minister is 'aspiring' to achieve during her term. If it was a giant step backwards in the fight for gender equity, then she's on the right track" said Merriman.

Young Labour urges the Minister of Women’s Affairs to reinstate the Pay and Employment Equity Unit and to show that the National Government has even a remote interest in redressing equity issues inherent in New Zealand.

ENDS

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