It’s Time for a Change

Marilyn Waring spoke at Friday morning’s International Women’s Day breakfast at Parliament – the first time she has spoken in Parliament since she left in 1984 – and challenged the Prime Minister to step up on gender equality, says UN Women National Committee Aotearoa New Zealand (UN Women NC ANZ).

The annual International Women’s Day (IWD) breakfast was jointly organised by the Zonta Club of Wellington and UN Women NC ANZ. The breakfast featured a keynote address by Marilyn Waring with supporting speeches by Host, Hon Louise Upston, Minister for Women; Angela McLeod, President of UN Women NC ANZ, and; Jan Pearson, President of the Zonta Club of Wellington.

“Marilyn Waring, in her keynote speech, took us through the ups and downs for women since she was first in Parliament in 1975 – nothing much has changed,” says Angela McLeod, President UN Women NC ANZ.

“It’s been twenty years since the Beijing Platform for Action was formulated and women still do more unpaid work than men, they are still paid less than men for work of the same value and the rate of violence against women is still appalling.

“Gender equality is good for humanity, good for women and good for business and it requires the participation of men.

“It’s time that men showed their commitment to women and girls by signing up to UN Women’s HeForShe campaign.

In its report back to Parliament in 1975, the Select Committee report on the Role of Women in New Zealand Society ‘Most aspects of discrimination continue to be the subject of inaction, and the committee accepts without reservation, the need for an accelerated effort to remove all impedimentsto the equal participation of women in society.’

“UN Women NC ANZ supports Marilyn Waring’s call for a new Select Committee Inquiry in to the role of women in New Zealand, this time to include the measurement for violence against women.

“Parliament needs to hear the truths of the ongoing exploitation of and discrimination against the women of New Zealand.

“It’s time that this government stepped up,” says Mrs McLeod.

ENDS

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