Pānui December 2010

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Men lead with anti-violence message
From the CE: Leadership role on Gender Equality
Sexual violence research used in work with violent offenders
CEDAW report submitted to UN
International gender measures
Women on the move
Women directors share their stories
Teenage girls’ top picks for career 
In brief
- NZ women’s participation in public life in 2010
- The Social Report 2010
- UN Women
- International Women’s Day 8 March
- Welfare Options
- Growing Up in New Zealand
- Crime and Safety Survey

Men lead with anti-violence message

More and more men are taking up the mantle during the annual White Ribbon campaign and this year was no exception. 

Hundreds of men joined the week-long White Ribbon motorcycle ride which began in Tauranga on 20 November and ended in Auckland on 25 November, visiting 40 North Island locations, including Wellington. Led by the Super Māori Fullas and the Patriots Defence Motorcycle Club, the riders participate in white ribbon events and activities along the way and spread the message to men to take action against violence. 

MWA’s General Manager, Corporate Services Martin Sebire joined the Wellington to Kapiti leg of the ride and said it was ‘a great experience’.

‘White Ribbon was started by men and is about men taking the lead in spreading the message that violence towards women is intolerable.  The white ribbon ride exemplifies what can be done when a large group of men decide to take positive action. 

‘The loud motorcycles and leather-clad riders certainly attracted attention and allowed the speakers to tell their stories of shame and regret, of hope and commitment to change, and to role model and help other men for a future free of violence.’

On White Ribbon Day itself, 25 November, over 300 men sat down to simultaneous breakfasts held in Wellington and Auckland; in Wellington over 100 men participated in a white ribbon running race; and all over New Zealand communities held events such as marches, parades, barbeques, and competitions. 

Over half a million white ribbons were distributed as well as hundreds of posters, temporary tattoos, and balloons.  Signatures from prominent people throughout New Zealand have been collected on panels that will be sewn together to form a giant white ribbon and displayed at Starship Hospital.

About White Ribbon Day

White Ribbon Day, 25 November, is the international day when people wear a white ribbon to show that they do not condone violence towards women.  It also celebrates the many men willing to show leadership and commitment to promoting safe, healthy relationships within families and encourages men to challenge each other on attitudes and behaviours that are abusive.  For more go to www.whiteribbon.org.nz.

Statistics in New Zealand:

Reducing the impacts of violence against women is one of MWA’s three main priority work areas.  MWA is represented on the White Ribbon national campaign committee.

• One in three women will experience partner violence at some point in their lives.
• In New Zealand most violence towards women takes place in the home.
• In violence within couples, it is men’s violence that is most likely to cause serious physical or psychological harm.
• An average of 14 women a year are killed by their partners or ex partners.
• There are over 3500 convictions recorded against men each year for assaults on women.

From the Chief Executive

Leadership role on Gender Equality

Kia ora koutou

Greetings and welcome to the last Ministry of Women’s Affairs’ Pānui for 2010. 

My first few months back in the Ministry have been eventful. It has been energising to meet so many focused women – and men – who are working to advance women’s issues in New Zealand. In this Pānui, I want to draw your attention to a number of issues.

Firstly, I want to thank members of our International Caucus who provided input to New Zealand’s seventh report on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Feedback from Caucus members helped to shape the report into a more comprehensive overview of the status of women in New Zealand.

Two global indexes on the status of women have been released recently: one from the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the second from the Economist Intelligence Unit. New Zealand ranks 5th (out of 134 countries) and 8th (out of 113) respectively. These assessments indicate that while NZ still needs to make more progress to achieve full gender equality, we have achieved greater progress than most other countries. This should motivate us to learn from our past successes, to speed further progress, and to avoid slippage.

These rankings should also motivate us to play a strong leadership role internationally, to improve the well-being and status of women elsewhere. You can find further information on these indexes on page 6.

The indexes can also motivate other countries to achieve more progress. As an example, being ranked at 103rd by the WEF was one reason the United Arab Emirates (UAE) asked the OECD to undertake a review of gender equality. On the basis of New Zealand’s strong reputation on gender equality, the OECD and UAE asked MWA to contribute to this review. The UAE funded one senior MWA official to spend a week with prominent UAE leaders, academics, and government agencies to recommend a pathway forward for women within the Emirates. 

The OECD has recently identified gender equality as a new substantive priority for its work programme. The OECD notes that while rising incomes do not automatically lead to improved gender equality, improved gender equality does support greater productivity and economic growth.

In our domestic focus, the Pike River mine disaster and the people of Christchurch have been very much top-of-mind for most of us, and our thoughts will continue to be with the families and friends of those affected by both of these events.

In Christchurch, there have been many heart-warming stories of resilience and caring. There has also, however, been a painful spike in the number of reported cases of domestic violence. We can only imagine the additional fear and stress that the victims of this violence will be feeling, on top of the trauma of the earthquake, aftershocks, and the damage that has resulted.

Christmas is a time of increased domestic violence for many women in New Zealand. While I wish all our readers a safe and happy Christmas and New Year, I particularly wish that women and their families are safe from domestic violence and that, as a country, we finally rid ourselves of this barbaric practice. Our impatience and sense of urgency to achieve this must grow.

It was very heartening to see so many men involved in this year’s White Ribbon activities.

I look forward to meeting many more of you in 2011.

Ngā mihi


Rowena
Chief Executive

Sexual violence research used in work with violent offenders

The findings from MWA’s two-year sexual violence research project Restoring Soul continue to be widely disseminated including being used in victim empathy programmes for violent offenders.

MWA senior policy analyst Dr Denise Lievore, who managed the research project, says she has done many formal presentations to government and community agencies this year to help them understand how they might use the findings.

‘At one of our presentations, a woman in the audience told us she was using victim/survivors’ stories from the pathways study in victim empathy programmes for violent offenders. She was really pleased that she could finally draw on New Zealand research and we thought it was an incredibly powerful use of the women’s experiences.’

Denise said the findings have been used in New Zealand and overseas.

‘For example, the Taskforce for Action on Sexual Violence used data from the research as a crucial part of its evidence base for its report back to government, particularly the need for criminal justice reform.

‘Before the research was published, we made it available to a QC who was preparing a submission for the Court of Appeal. The court was using an upcoming sexual violation case to review New Zealand’s sentencing guidelines for rape. The research evidence formed a substantial part of the submission and Restoring Soul is cited in the Court’s decision.’

‘Overseas, one of our international peer reviewers asked us to the make  literature review available before it was published for a review of the handling of rape cases in England and Wales (the Stern Review).’

In September Denise together with three of the researchers presented the findings to the Australia and New Zealand Society of Criminologists’ Conference.

‘A whole conference session was devoted to our presentation which not only discussed the findings but also our approach to using the research to influence people.  International experts at the conference commented on how unusual it was, and how pleased they were, to see a government agency actively using the research to promote change.

‘New Zealand can say that our research is influential on the world stage.’

To see more on the research project go to www.mwa.govt.nz/our-work/svrproject.

It’s not OK: what ‘good help’ looks like

The latest focus of the It’s not OK campaign is what friends and whānau can do to help people living in violent situations –  whether they are the violent person or the victim – not just in a crisis but in everyday situations.

Research has shown that people do want to help when they know or suspect violence is happening, but they are often unsure what to do and how to help. Research commissioned by the Campaign showed what ‘good help’ looks like and also what kind of help doesn’t work.  Victims, perpetrators and those who tried to help them were all interviewed.

It was clear that the way help is offered is very important for both victims and perpetrators. There are many ways to help a person who is living with family violence.  Friends and family have an important role to play.  Most people interviewed said that is who they turn to first, and what they say and do can really make a difference.   To see more visit the campaign website at www.areyouok.org.nz.

Campaign for Action on Family Violence
The Campaign for Action on Family Violence – the It’s not Ok campaign – is a response to growing concerns about the level of family violence in New Zealand.  The campaign was initiated by the Taskforce for Action on Violence within Families, which advises the government on family violence issues.  The Taskforce was established in June 2005 and consists of CEOs, including MWA’s, decision-makers from the government and non-government sectors, the judiciary, and crown agencies. 

CEDAW report submitted to UN

New Zealand has submitted its four-yearly ‘report card’ on the status of women to the United Nations.

It is New Zealand’s seventh report on our implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and covers the period March 2006-March 2010.  The report shows there have been accomplishments and progress, but there are still areas where women do not achieve as well as men.  Here is a sample.

• New Zealand rates well internationally: in 2009 we were again ranked 5th in the Global Gender Gap Report behind the Scandinavian countries and 18 places above Australia (23rd).
• Women’s leadership skills are under-used: only 9.23 percent of board members on the top 100 listed companies listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange are women.
• The pay gap is the lowest it has ever been – at 10.6 percent – but we need to speed progress.
• Māori women are doing better in tertiary education: they have the highest participation rates of any women and they are gaining qualifications at a higher rate than any other group.
• Violence remains a cause of national shame: 1 in 3 women will experience partner violence in their lives.

 About CEDAW

CEDAW, adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, is often described as an international bill of rights for women. It defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination.

The Convention defines discrimination against women as '...any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field.'

By accepting the Convention, States commit themselves to undertake a series of measures to end discrimination against women in all forms, including:

• to incorporate the principle of equality of men and women in their legal system, abolish all discriminatory laws and adopt appropriate ones prohibiting discrimination against women;
• to establish tribunals and other public institutions to ensure the effective protection of women against discrimination; and
• to ensure elimination of all acts of discrimination against women by persons, organizations or enterprises.

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women is the body that monitors implementation of the Convention. The Committee consists of 23 experts on women’s rights from around the world.

Countries who have become party to the treaty (States parties) are obliged to submit regular reports to the Committee on how the rights of the Convention are implemented. During its sessions the Committee considers each State party report and addresses its concerns and recommendations to the State party in the form of concluding observations. The Committee also formulates general recommendations and suggestions.

The CEDAW report is produced by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and is prepared by us in consultation with other government agencies and civil society.

NGOs will also be submitting independent ‘shadow’ reports to the CEDAW Committee.

International gender measures

New Zealand’s seventh CEDAW report refers to our high ranking internationally when it comes to equality between men and women.  Some of the key annual international reports that measure countries’ gender-based disparities are:

Human Development Report

The United Nations’ 2010 Human Development Report introduced a new measure – the Gender Inequality Index.  New Zealand ranked 25th out of 138 countries. The full report can be seen at http://hdr.undp.org/en/mediacentre/

Women’s Economic Opportunity Report

The Women’s Economic Opportunity Report, from the Economist Intelligence Unit, included for the first time this year the Women’s economic opportunity index.  Out of 113 countries, New Zealand ranked 8th. The full report can be seen at http://graphics.eiu.com/upload/WEO_report_June_2010.pdf.

The Global Gender Gap Report

This report provides a gender gap index for 134 countries to capture the magnitude and scope of gender-based disparities and track their progress over time. In the latest report, New Zealand maintained its fifth-place ranking behind Iceland, Norway, Finland, and Sweden. New Zealand has held fifth place since 2007. 

The full report can be seen at www.weforum.org/pdf/gendergap/report2010.pdf.

Measuring the gender pay gap in NZ

The most recent measurement of New Zealand’s gender pay gap – using the New Zealand Income Survey (NZIS) rather than the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) – showed it has narrowed to 10.6 percent, down from 11.3 percent in 2009.
 
The NZIS measure is a more accurate and informative measure. We have been using the NZIS measure (the median hourly earnings from wages/salaries for men and women) for the last five years. It uses actual earnings, so changes in men’s and women’s earnings can therefore be directly related to changes in individuals’ wages and salaries. Median, rather than average, hourly earnings is a better measure of what most people earn, and aligns with international measures of the gender pay gap.

By comparison, the methodology used in the QES means that reported changes in average hourly earnings for men and women are not necessarily the direct result of a change in an employee’s wage or salary. This is because the QES records earnings at an employer level, where average earnings for men and women within each sample firm are calculated by dividing the total wage bill of employed men and women by the total hours worked by those men and women. Therefore changes in average hourly earnings, and hence the gender pay gap, could be the result simply of a change in the hours worked by a single staff member.

The Global Gender Gap

New Zealand (5th out of 134 countries)

Measuring the gender pay gap

Women on the move

Television producer and presenter Sandra Kailahi has been appointed to the National Pacific Radio Trust Board.

Justice Lowell Goddard has been elected to the United Nations Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture.

Penny Mudford has been reappointed to the Electrical Workers Registration Board.

Susan Paterson and Elena Trout have been appointed to the board of the new Electricity Authority.  The Authority is responsible for promoting competition, reliable supply, and efficient operation of the electricity market for the long-term benefit of consumers.

The winner of the Ria McBride Public Service Management Award for 2010 is Inland Revenue Manager Elizabeth Innes.

New members of the National Advisory Council on the Employment of Women (NACEW) are Traci Houpapa, Galia BarHava-Monteith, Susan Peterson, and Ranjna Patel. 

New appointments to the Biosecurity Ministerial Advisory Committee are Dr Fiona Thomson-Carter, Jan Hunt, and Professor Caroline Saunders.

Arihia Bennett MNZM has been appointed to the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Commission.

Fiona Campbell has been appointed to the Board of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
 
New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Mexico will be career diplomat Christine Bogle.

Vicki Caisley has been appointed to the Board of the New Zealand Fire Service Commission.

Tracey Berry is a member of a new committee that has been established to conduct disciplinary proceedings arising out of complaints against financial advisers.

Women directors share their stories

Women directors from all around New Zealand share their background, experiences, and knowledge as part of a whole new look for MWA’s Women on Board web pages.

MWA Nominations Service Director Pamela Cohen said the new pages have been developed to inspire more women to join boards and committees.

‘For some time we have been advising women one-on-one and they have found that very helpful.  We wanted to make our advice and experience more readily available to women who are interested in governance roles. And not just roles in the government sector, but also the business, community, and Māori sectors.’ 

The web pages now include: top tips from the Ministry’s Nominations Service about getting into governance; advice on creating a governance CV; information on the different types of boards in New Zealand; key links and resources; and 23 women directors telling their stories about their paths to the boardroom.

A further development coming to the Women on Board pages will be an online self-assessment tool that will provide women with an individualised report on their governance strengths, areas where they may need development, and what to do to develop them. 

Pamela said the tool – my board strengths – will help women find where they ‘fit’ and where the governance opportunities are for them in the four sectors.

‘At the end of the assessment, women will receive a report that gives them advice on how to develop their competencies and some suggestions of the types of board roles that are best suited to their skills and experience.’

Have a look at the Ministry’s new Women on Boards web pages http://www.mwa.govt.nz/wob.

Teenage girls’ top picks for career 

What are teenage girls aspiring to when it comes to occupations in the first decade of the 21st century?

To large extent, they’re keen on the many of the same kind of roles and occupations their counterparts aspired to fifteen years ago...and fifteen years before that.

That’s one of the results emerging from research by the Gender and Diversity Research group of AUT University, conducted with the support of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs. The three-part longitudinal study shows that in young women’s top five career choices, female-dominated occupations notably rate above traditionally male-dominated career choices.

The AUT study comprised two parts: the three-part longitudinal study of Year 11 (15-16 year old) girls in four Dunedin schools between in 1979, 1995 and 2010; and a one-off comparison of Year 11 girls from four Auckland secondary schools in 2010.

The longitudinal study showed that traditionally female occupations dominated four of the top five career choices for Dunedin girls last year – just as they did when the survey began thirty years ago.

Dunedin Girls’ Occupational Choice: Rank Order of Top Five Preferences

   Note     * indicates a male-dominated occupation
              
And the top five choices for Year 11 Auckland girls in 2010?  Air hostess rated number two on the list of aspirations; hairdresser was fourth. Lawyer was at the top of the list, and doctor and architect were ranked at numbers three and five respectively. 

The study notes that the change in girls’ preferences towards more male-dominated choices has not been ‘toward masculine occupations uniformly’, but rather ‘toward professional jobs such as lawyer and doctor where women make up over 50 percent of the entering classes in law and medical schools’.

The study concluded that ‘overall the occupational choices made by girls in the two cities are remarkably consistent’.

Reducing the gender pay gap

The Students’ Occupational Choice Study: Dunedin, Auckland June 2010 was conducted by the Gender & Diversity Research Group, AUT University with support from the Ministry of Women’s Affairs. 297 Dunedin and 689 Auckland students completed the 2010 survey. 

Encouraging women into male-dominated occupations, including the trades professions, is part of our work to reduce the gender pay gap.

For a copy of the research report go to www.mwa.govt.nz.

In brief

NZ women’s participation in public life in 2010

The Human Rights Commission published its fourth New Zealand Census of Women’s Participation in November.  The biennial report provides a picture of the representation of women in public and political life.  The 2010 edition, for the first time, adds women’s representation in accountancy, profiles achievers in agri-business, and reports on women’s status in teaching.  Other new items include the status of women in senior management of the top 100 companies, a series of profiles of younger women as potential leaders, and a report on pay and employment equity in the public service.  The report can be downloaded from the Commission’s website www.hrc.co.nz.

The Social Report 2010

The Ministry of Social Development’s annual Social Report uses 43 indicators to show how people are faring in New Zealand, how this has changed over time, and how social outcomes vary for different groups in the population.  The report has four main aims: to report on social indicators that complement existing economic and environmental indicators; to compare New Zealand with other countries  on measures of well-being; to contribute to better-informed public debate; and to aid planning and decision-making and to help identify key areas for action.
 
The Social Report 2010 introduces two new indicators: voluntary work and overall life satisfaction.  The report can be seen at http://www.socialreport.msd.govt.nz/index.html.

UN Women

On 10 November, elections were held for the executive board of the new United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). 

The elections, held in the 54-member Economic and Social Council, will enable the new Board to come together prior to the official establishment of UN Women on 1 January 2011.

Headed by former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, UN Women was established to accelerate progress in meeting the needs of women and girls worldwide and has an annual budget of at least $500 million.  For more information go to
http://www.unwomen.org/.

International Women’s Day 8 March

We mentioned in the last Pānui that 2011 marks the centenary of the first celebration of International Women’s Day and that UNIFEM NZ is co-ordinating 100 events in communities, schools, and workplaces across New Zealand.

If you would like to be part of the celebrations by holding an event, or would like more information, please contact UNIFEM NZ’s co-ordinator, Liz Brown, at liz.brown@paradise.net.nz.

Welfare Options

The Welfare Working Group, established by Cabinet to undertake a review of New Zealand’s welfare system, has released an Options Paper. The Paper canvasses a wide range of topics and looks at possible ways to improve the benefit system.

New Zealanders can make submissions on the Options Paper, in writing or online, until 24 December.  The Paper is at http://ips.ac.nz/WelfareWorkingGroup/Index.html.

The Working Group is due to present its final report and recommendations to the government in February 2011.

Growing Up in New Zealand

Researchers conducting a longitudinal study on children and their families have released their first report Before we are born.  The report. which follows interviews with more than 7,000 parents of children born in the last two years, is a first for longitudinal studies worldwide as it includes data from interviews with both parents before their child was born.

The study will follow the families over the next 21 years and will collect details of health and emotional wellbeing; parenting; family functioning; early childhood; education; culture, and identity.

To see the report go to www.growingup.co.nz.

Crime and Safety Survey

The results of the latest New Zealand Crime and Safety Survey (NZCASS) have been released.  The NZCASS is conducted every three years and provides New Zealand’s only nationwide measure of family violence and sexual violence.  To see more go to www.justice.govt.nz.

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Pānui is published by the Ministry of Women's Affairs, New Zealand. We welcome your feedback and ideas. Send them to Jayne McCullum, The Editor, Pānui, Ministry of Women's Affairs, PO Box 10049, Wellington 6143, New Zealand, or to email: mwa@mwa.govt.nz.
Editor: Jayne McCullum
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The viewpoints expressed in Pānui do not necessarily reflect the views of the Ministry of Women's Affairs.