24 June 2011

The chair-designate of New Zealand Global Women, the Rt Hon Dame Jenny Shipley, has called on the leaders of Employers and Manufacturers Association to clarify their position on the value that women bring to companies, the labour market and the broader New Zealand economy.

Dame Jenny says it is a matter for the EMA’s leadership to decide what action is required.

She expects them to act decisively.

Her call follows comments by EMA (Northern) Chief Executive Alasdair Thompson that menstruation affects women’s productivity.

Dame Jenny wrote to Mr Thompson yesterday (Thursday) expressing her concern at the comments and asking for the statistics he referred to when making his claims.

She wrote: “With the investment that employers make in women and men in this day and age, surely the issue is how to retain that talent by salary recognition and workplace flexibility, not your absurd explanation as to why wage differences linger.

“It is not only socialists who think that people of equal talent deserve to be paid for equal effort! While it is a matter of debate as to whether we need law to define this, I would have thought that the proposition was not only reasonable but a ‘no brainer’!

“I hope your views are not those of the EMA.

“This small economy needs all the talent it can attract and all the effort it can deploy. Remuneration should be blind to gender and focussed entirely on talent, productivity and the ability to assist companies to gain momentum.

“That talent deserves to be rewarded equally.

“We need leaders not apologists in this matter.

“I hope you will reconsider your position.”

Dame Jenny says Global Women strongly promote increased numbers of women effectively advancing through the workforce and being rewarded with equal pay for equal effort.

“In particular we actively promote more qualified women being appointed at senior levels of management and on boards as the research now clearly proves that the companies who take such action outperform others on average,” she says.

“Women fulfil a vital role in New Zealand business and the New Zealand economy.

“It is these issues EMA should be championing not the absurd and demeaning arguments expressed yesterday.”

Dame Jenny will not be making any further comment at this time.

About NZGW
New Zealand Global Women connects New Zealand’s top businesswomen – both here and offshore.

Since being launched by Prime Minister John Key in July 2009, the invitation-only network has grown to more than 120 senior women CEOs, directors and managers; connecting them across businesses, sectors and international borders.

NZGW come from across the private and public sectors; from the sciences, arts and not-for-profit enterprises. They are based in New Zealand, the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and China.

Members must have demonstrated thought leadership and vision and have a track record of supporting other women to leadership positions.

Demonstrating that commitment, NZGW runs the Women in Leadership Breakthrough Leaders Programme. It is a 12 month course specifically tailored for emerging women leaders. The programme offers a unique combination of specific leadership and skills development and customised mentoring and coaching from some of New Zealand’s most senior women leaders.

London School of Business research identifies that creating supportive networks is critical to advancing talented women. Interviews during the development of NZGW revealed that even high-achieving women under-invest in their social capital, often due to multiple demands on their time.

The high–powered board of Global Women is chaired by Mai Chen, the founding partner of public law specialists Chen Palmer and comprises former Prime Minister the Rt. Hon Dame Jenny Shipley; Sarah Kennedy, Sloan Fellow 2010/2011, MIT, Boston; Bridget Liddell, Managing Principal, Fahrenheit Ventures; Jenny Morel, Managing Partner, No 8 Ventures; Wendy Pye, Managing Director, Wendy Pye Publishing; Katrina Troughton, director, IBM’s WebSphere division; Annah Stretton, CEO, Stretton Clothing & Stretton Publishing; Sue Sheldon Independent Director; Amanda Ellis, Deputy Secretary, International Development Ministry Foreign Affairs and Trade and Joanne McCrae, Partner Tax, Deloitte.

ENDS

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