What outcomes for women does the government aim to achieve?

• Improved economic independence of women
• Greater work-life balance in New Zealand
• Improved well-being for all New Zealand women

This section illustrates the three major outcome areas in the Action Plan for New Zealand Women, and describes why they are important to achieve. It then shows how the Action Plan contributes to overall government goals and the intermediate outcomes which must be achieved.

The Action Plan for New Zealand Women addresses areas of inequality between women and men and between particular groups of women. The plan also capitalises on opportunities for women which are of benefit to New Zealand's wider economic and social prospects. This is constant from year to year and is illustrated below.

The government has a series of co-ordinating frameworks and outcomes to fulfil its vision for a sustainable New Zealand. The Action Plan for New Zealand Women is a whole-of-government plan that fits within two of those co-ordinating frameworks - the Growth and Innovation Framework and Opportunities for All New Zealanders. Three high-level outcomes have been identified within the Plan. These are:

• the economic independence of women in New Zealand will be improved
• greater work-life balance will be achieved in New Zealand
• the quality of life for all New Zealand women will be improved.

Rather than being separate areas of focus, the three outcomes are inter-related, with a number of opportunities to achieve inter-related gains.

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Improved economic independence of women

Why does the government need to consider action?

Lifetime earnings are seen as the most critical factor impacting upon women's economic choices and ongoing economic sustainability. Although women's participation in the paid workforce has increased, it is still characterised by part-time work, low pay and occupational segregation. These factors contribute to the gender pay gap.

The average hourly earnings for those receiving income from wages and salaries in the June 2004 quarter was $18.24, an increase of $0.37 (2.1%) from the previous year with males up $0.49 (to $19.58) and females up $0.22 (to $16.80).2

Maori women's average hourly earnings in 2004 were $15.22 compared with European/Pākehā women's average earnings in 2004 of $17.34, and Pacific women's average hourly earnings of $13.34.3

The median annual income was $14,500 for women and $25,000 for men.4

What are the intermediate outcomes?

For each of the outcome areas, the Ministry has created a hierarchy of intermediate outcomes. These have been prepared with other public sector agencies that are delivering the policy programmes that contribute to the outcomes in the Action Plan.

It is these intermediate outcomes that the Ministry will be monitoring. The key intermediate outcomes that must exist for the overall economic independence outcome to be achieved include:

• women have access to opportunities for paid work and employment
• women are equitably rewarded for their work
• women have access to an adequate minimum level of income
• women have optimal access to, and use of, their financial resources.

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Greater work-life balance in New Zealand

Why does the government need to consider action?

There is a need to ensure as many people as possible can participate in the paid workforce while enhancing the quality of care for children and other dependants and supporting community cohesion. For women the issues have become increasingly important, with growing numbers of women entering the paid workforce while maintaining their role as primary caregiver.

Almost 70% of women's work is unpaid, compared with 40% of men's work time.5

Women still work shorter hours in paid work than men. But the longer total hours worked in households are primarily due to women's increased employment rates, particularly amongst mothers of young children.6

Over one in five mothers said lack of access to childcare was a barrier to employment and almost half of mothers said cost was a reason.7

What are the intermediate outcomes?

For each of the outcome areas, the Ministry has created a hierarchy of intermediate outcomes. These have been prepared with a range of other public sector agencies that are delivering the policy programmes that contribute to the outcomes in the Action Plan.

It is these intermediate outcomes that the Ministry will be monitoring. The key intermediate outcomes necessary for the overall work-life balance outcome to be achieved include:

• women can successfully integrate work into their personal and family lives
• women can easily make the contribution they desire to their community
• women can access support and services to allow them to meet their responsibilities to others.

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Improved well-being for all New Zealand women

Why does the government need to consider action?

New Zealand women compare poorly against international benchmarks in domestic violence statistics and when considering outcomes in relation to sexual and reproductive health. Well-being is essential to active participation in the economy and society, to the benefit of all.

In 2000, women were more likely than men to be repeat victims of violent victimisations, and to be repeat victims of threats.8

Within each ethnic group, the lifetime prevalence of violence by heterosexual partners was higher for women than for men, and was very much higher for Maori women than for New Zealand European women.9

Violence against women was one of the types of victimisation less likely to come to Police notice.10

The above trends and statistics are supported by more recent research, such as an Auckland University study (Janet Fanslow and Elizabeth Robinson) published in 2004 that showed that 33% of women in Auckland and 39% of women in the Waikato had experienced at least one act of physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.11

Maori women have the highest smoking prevalence (52%), followed by Maori men (39%). Among Pacific peoples, smoking is more prevalent among men (35%) than among women (29%). Since the early 1990s, smoking prevalence has declined by about three percentage points for European/other ethnic groups but has remained relatively unchanged for Maori and Pacific peoples.12

New Zealand has a relatively high rate of childbearing at young ages compared with other developed countries, but the trend has been downward in recent years. The birth rate for young adolescents under 18 years was 18.0 per 1,000 females aged 15-17 years in 1996 and 14.8 per 1,000 in 2003.13

What are the intermediate outcomes?

For each of the outcome areas, the Ministry has created a hierarchy of intermediate outcomes. These have been prepared with a range of other public sector agencies who are delivering the policy programmes that contribute to the outcomes in the Action Plan.

It is these intermediate outcomes that we will be monitoring. The key intermediate outcomes which must exist for the overall well-being outcome to be achieved include:

• women are physically, mentally, emotionally healthy
• women are safe at home and in their communities
• women can meet their social and cultural needs.

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