Appendix 1: background

The following background information provides an overview of the commitments and obligations addressed in the Action Plan for New Zealand Women together with some of the statistical information and facts that informed the development of the Plan.

TREATY OF WAITANGI
The Action Plan for New Zealand Women reflects the Crown's obligations to the Treaty of Waitangi and partnership with Māori. Māori women's interests, as tangata whenua, have been instrumental in the development of the Plan. Formal consultation meetings, held around New Zealand, were held by the Ministry of Women'sAffairs in partnership with the Māori Women's Welfare League and other Māori focus groups. The Plan also reflects ongoing consultations between the Ministry of Women's Affairs and Te Korowai Wāhine (since its establishment in 1999).(4)

INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS
The Action Plan for New Zealand Women addresses matters of inequity and discrimination to both improve the circumstances of women, and contribute to meeting New Zealand's international obligations, particularly those related to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (the Fourth World Conference on Women 1995),(5) Beijing +5 (6) and the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).(7) The Plan provides a mechanism for the government to deliver a co-ordinated response, both to the CEDAW Committee's concerns and to the priorities identified in the consultation process, which will achieve economic sustainability and personal well-being for women.

FACTS AND STATISTICS
The significant inequalities that still exist between men and women across a wide range of indicators are illustrated in Figure 1 below. Where circumstances for women are worse than for men, the indicator level is closer to the centre of the wheel. Where circumstances are better for women compared to men, the indicator level is towards the outer edge of the diagram.

Figure 2, below, shows there are also disparities between Māori women and European women. Where circumstances for Māori women are worse than for European women, the indicator level is closer to the centre of the wheel. Where circumstances are better for Māori women compared to European women, the indicator level is towards the outer edge of the diagram.

ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY
Key statistics underpinning the formulation of economic sustainability objectives include the following:

• Women make up approximately 51 per cent of the New Zealand population and represent 47 per cent of the labour force (8)
• Between 1991 and 2001, the labour force participation rate for women rose from 51.1 per cent to 60.1 per cent
• Although women's participation in the paid workforce has increased, it is still characterised by part-time work, low pay, and marked occupational segregation. Growing numbers of women are holding multiple jobs
• Gender pay gaps persist, most strikingly for Māori women and Pacific women. In March 2001, the median annual income from earnings for women was $14,500, compared to $24,900 for men.(9) The gender pay gap has narrowed over time. The gap remains greatest at the upper end of the income scale

• The living standards of many households are declining, particularly for households with only women and children, Māori women and children, and sole parent families.(10) The number of sole parent families continues to increase; 82 per cent of parents in sole parent families are women(11)
• Although only marginal shifts have been noticed over the past two censuses, there has been an increase in the numbers of women entering business activities. While European women have higher instances of owning businesses, in the last 10 years the proportion of Māori women who own businesses has increased(12)
• The 2001/2002 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor study ranked New Zealanders as among the most entrepreneurial peoples in the world, with particularly high rates of entrepreneurship among Māori.(13)
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WORK-LIFE BALANCE
Key statistics underpinning the formulation of work-life balance objectives and associated actions include:

The Time Use Survey has shown that, while women have increased their participation in paid work, they have continued to carry the major responsibility for unpaid work. On average, women and men put in similar hours of total work. Almost 70 per cent of women's work time is unpaid, compared to 40 per cent of men's work time. Women's unpaid work averages 4.8 hours per day, with an estimated value of over $25 million for the 1999 year

In Māori, Pacific and other ethnic minority populations, a younger age structure, broader family responsibilities, concentration in lower paid work, and higher levels of community work place additional stresses on women

At the time of the 2001 Census, 67 per cent of women aged 35-39 looked after a child who lived in the same household, compared to 51 per cent of men aged 35-39. Women are twice as likely as men to care for children or people who live in another household

Over one in five mothers (22%) said access to child care was a barrier to employment, and 47 per cent of these mothers said cost was the reason.(14) For 16 per cent of those receiving the child care subsidy, cost was a barrier to using more hours of care.

WELL-BEING
Women have longer life expectancy than men and have better outcomes in areas such as heart disease mortality rates. Health inequalities for women include the higher prevalence of obesity (particularly for Pacific women), and smoking (particularly for Māori women). Women, and in particular Māori women, are more likely than men to experience violence and sexual assault. Objectives have been formulated to target these issues. Actions prioritised in the area of well-being aim to improve women's access to services, their freedom from violence, and their health outcomes.

Key facts underpinning the formulation of well-being objectives include:

• Inequalities in the distribution of, and access to, material resources - income, education, employment and housing - are the primary cause of health inequalities. Differential access to health care services and differences in received care also have a considerable impact on health status and mortality(15)
• Age and disabilities can adversely influence people's ability to be included in society and access services that enhance well-being
  In 2001, 19 per cent of women said that they were victims of sexual crimes. Women were significantly more likely than men (5%) to experience sexual crimes at some time in their lives(16)
• Women (26%), especially Māori women (49%), were significantly more likely than men (18%) to have experienced violence at the hands of heterosexual partners at some time in their lives(17)
• There is increasing interest in the link between the abuse of women (physical, sexual and emotional) and the higher female rates of mental health problems(18)
• Māori women have the highest level of smoking prevalence (51.4%). They are two and a half times as likely to smoke as European/other women and more likely to smoke than Māori men. Overall, 31 per cent of all Māori deaths between 1989 and 1993 have been attributed to cigarette smoking(19)
• In New Zealand there has been a 50 per cent increase in adult obesity in the last decade. Obesity is forecast to increase by an estimated 73 per cent by 2011, to 29 per cent of all adult New Zealanders.(20) Obese women are more likely to experience a decreased quality of life and increased psychological stress. They are more likely to be discriminated against in employment and in social situations, and are more likely to focus obsessively on weight loss(21)
• Obesity is more prevalent in lower socio-economic groups and among Māori and Pacific peoples. In 1997, among Māori, 28 per cent of women and 27 per cent of men were obese. Among Pacific peoples, 47 per cent of women and 26 per cent of men were obese. Among European/other groups, 16.7 per cent of women and 12.6 per cent of men were obese (22)
• Being overweight or obese is a major avoidable risk factor for health outcomes, including chronic non-communicable disease, debilitating conditions that can drastically reduce quality of life, and psychological problems (23)
• New Zealand has the third highest rate of teenage births in 28 OECD countries. (24) The teenage fertility rate has fallen over recent years, but in 1998 the rates for young women aged 13-17 years were 26.2 per 1000 for Māori, and 4.9 per 1000 for non-Māori. In 1996 the fertility rate for young Pacific women aged 13-17 years was 17 per 1000 (25)
• Teen pregnancy is strongly associated with detachment from school, lack of training and paid work opportunities and the absence of meaningful prospects for the future. (26)

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