Specific groups of women

Specific Groups Of Women

Vision statements

Pacific women

Women achieve their goals and look towards the future with self-respect and confidence.

Pacific women take control of their own destinies and have a strong influence over the future development of their families.

Opportunity, choice, participation and equity exist for Pacific women and their families.

Within this context, Pacific women focused on a society where:

• Pacific peoples' family values are recognised and respected
• the cultural heritage of Pacific communities is accessible
• the role Pacific women play in their families and wider community is recognised and valued
• Pacific women participate in all aspects of decision-making and society
• Pacific women are safe from harm.

Migrant and refugee women

Women have rights of equal opportunities and participate more actively in the running of New Zealand society.

Migrant and refugee women also noted the effect of the separation of families arising from migration, and the particular circumstances of family members resident in refugee camps. Within this context, migrant and refugee women focused on their aspirations to reunite families.

Low-income women

All women are able to choose to participate fully in society.

Within this context, low-income women focused on a society where:

• services are affordable and accessible
• there is a lower expectation of participating in full-time paid employment, and greater recognition is placed on the other contributions that women make to society.

Rural women

Women participate fully in the life and decision-making processes in the home, community and country, and achieve equity.

Within this context, rural women focused on a society where:

• the role of rural women in their families and communities is recognised and valued
• the diversity of women is recognised and valued
• resources and services are more accessible
• the natural environment is protected
• women are safe from harm.

Women with disabilities

All women have equal access to, and participate in, all levels of society.

Within this context, women with disabilities focused on operationalising the New Zealand Disability Strategy, promoting the participation of disabled women in order to improve their quality of life, and valuing families, whānau and people who provide ongoing support to women with disabilities.

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Economic sustainability

Women with different ethnic backgrounds, rural women, low-income women and women with disabilities expressed similar views, emphasising different aspects depending on the particular population group to which they belonged. A summary of these views is presented below:

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Pacific women

Issues

Thirteen contributors identifying as Pacific women made specific comment on issues associated with economic sustainability. These comments were closely aligned to the overall issues raised.

Reference was made to the negative impact of losing one's cultural identity, and the potential for high self-esteem to affect Pacific women's economic circumstances positively. In addition, Pacific contributors raised issues associated with:

• information dissemination, particularly careers information and information showcasing successful Pacific women in business
• the impact of the taxation regime on large, low-income families.

Government and community solutions

Twelve contributors identifying as Pacific women commented on strategies to address issues of economic sustainability. Proposals put forward by Pacific women were aligned with the overall proposals above, but emphasised:

• the need for better quality research, including research about the differences between different Pacific cultures, and how Pacific women access and use existing education and economic development programmes
• support for community based economic development and educational organisations
• better access to information, including promoting role models and mentoring programmes
• providing greater income assistance for women in the home, including proposals for a basic wage, Family Benefit and childcare support
• reviewing the impact of the taxation regime on large families, particularly those with low incomes
• promoting the appointment of Pacific women to leadership and decision-making positions
• providing free education.

Migrant and refugee women

Issues

Four identifiably migrant or refugee women commented on issues associated with economic sustainability. The issues raised by these contributors included:

• the skills and qualifications gained in these women's countries of origin often not being transferable to New Zealand
• the above point combined with migrant or refugee women's husbands often being unemployed, resulting in women being forced to undertake casualised jobs (with many of these jobs paying below the minimum wage)
• the need for special assistance to help them gain skills for the New Zealand labour market (such as English language skills)
• the lack of extended family structures to support them in balancing work and family commitments.

Government and community solutions

Five identifiably migrant or refugee contributors commented on strategies to address issues of economic sustainability. Proposals from these contributors focused on:

• reducing the cost of education, particularly tertiary education
• easing access to work permits for migrant women who have been abandoned but are without residential status
• recognising and funding voluntary work, particularly the work of interpreters
• resourcing partnerships between the government and community organisations to ensure migrant and refugee interests are considered on an ongoing basis.

Low-income women

Issues

Nine contributors who were identifiably representing, or were, low-income women made specific comment on issues associated with economic sustainability. These contributors' comments focused on:

• the particular challenges faced by female offenders, in prison and on release, in terms of poor literacy and numeracy skills affecting their income-earning ability, an inability to access affordable childcare, and financial difficulties when re-establishing households
• inadequate benefit levels provided under the social assistance regime. Aligned to this, comments were also made about the disincentives existing within the social assistance regime, including the benefit abatement rate and the domestic purposes benefit being an incentive for partners to live separately
• the importance of education and skills development
• women outside the paid workforce needing additional support to facilitate their re-entry into that workforce
• vulnerability in the workplace. Particular concerns were the prospect of losing their jobs which constrained their ability to raise family and cultural needs with employers, and their vulnerability to casual work
• being particularly affected by the costs of working, including the costs of childcare, public transport and education
• being unable to make private provision for retirement.

Government and community solutions

Eight contributors who were identifiably representing, or were, low-income women commented specifically on strategies to address issues of economic sustainability. Proposals from these contributors focused on:

• increasing women's real income levels, including reviewing benefit abatement rates, providing subsidies for childcare and providing a universal basic income
• improving access to services, particularly free education and training opportunities, and benefits and entitlements improving employment opportunities, including extending the eligibility criteria for training incentive allowances to include those on the unemployment benefit and those undertaking voluntary work, supported employment and career development support.

Rural women

Issues

Fourteen contributors who were identifiably from rural locations commented specifically on issues associated with economic sustainability. The issues raised by these contributors were closely aligned to the overall issues outlined above. In addition, they raised the following specific issues:

• education, training and affordable social services are less accessible to women living in rural circumstances
• the rural school bus service places particular stresses on rural women and children, both in terms of the time required to drive children to and from the bus stop limiting the amount of time women have available for work (on the farm), and the excessive length of the school day for young children required to travel to school
• under-funding of rural schools requiring parents to fundraise to meet school funding requirements, limiting the time those parents have available to work
• employment opportunities in rural areas being limited to lower paid work
• the compliance burden of the regulatory regime for small business
• the need for across-government co-ordination of efforts in rural communities.

Government and community solutions

Eleven contributors who were identifiably from rural locations commented specifically on strategies to address issues associated with economic sustainability. These contributors focused on strategies to:

• increase the accessibility of educational opportunities and skills development to rural communities, including more flexible funding arrangements for rural schools, more support for sole charge schools, tax relief for rural workers sending children to boarding school, and universal access to student allowances including pro rata allowances for part-time study
• distribute the nation's wealth more equitably, including lowering tax rates on low incomes, increasing marginal rates and reinstating a universal family benefit.

Women with disabilities

Issues

Ten contributors who were identifiably representing, or were, women with disabilities, commented specifically on the issues associated with economic sustainability. While these contributors' views were not inconsistent with the overall issues raised, they focused more sharply on:

• a desire for an inclusive society enabling the full and active participation of women with disabilities, and positioning them to achieve economic sustainability
• societal barriers and attitudes fostering stereotypical attitudes about women with disabilities being one of the key factors contributing to the labour market discrimination experienced by women with disabilities
• a perceived over-representation of women with disabilities in low-income brackets, in part due to the high numbers of women with disabilities whose income is derived from social assistance benefits. Within this context, contributors noted the inadequacy of social assistance provided to women with disabilities, with particular reference to the hidden costs of being disabled and the higher likelihood of life-long benefit dependency. These factors were seen to limit women with disabilities' capacity to save, become home owners or make private provision for retirement
• the benefit abatement rate discourages rather than encourages participation in the paid workforce
• a desire for the opportunity to participate in the paid workforce, including more accessible education and training and supported employment.

Government and community solutions

Six contributors who were identifiably representing, or were, women with disabilities, commented on strategies to address issues associated with economic sustainability. Proposals from these contributors focused on removing disabling barriers to the full participation of disabled women, including:

• access to free education, including support for transportation to educational institutions, special equipment and personal support requirements (such as note takers) and accessible buildings and environs
• supported employment.

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Work-life Balance

Pacific women

Issues

Ten contributors identifying as Pacific women considered that achieving a work-life balance is difficult, mainly due to the high expectations that families and communities have of Pacific women. However, contributors also noted the need for family and community support, and the importance of incorporating traditional values into everyday life. Personal and professional aspirations were considered secondary to family responsibilities. Responses focused on:

• increasing societal acceptance that participation in the paid workforce should be a choice rather than an expectation
• increasing collective responsibility for family and community obligations
• higher income levels to enable women to choose their priorities and to purchase support
• improving information about, and use of, support services
• improving access to affordable, quality childcare and funded activities for children
• more flexible employment practices, including working conditions and employer recognition of skills acquired through unpaid work
• extended paid parental leave

- more Pacific women in leadership and decision-making positions, and for those women to be nominated by the Pacific community rather than by the government.

Government and community solutions

• state-funded parenting programmes
• income relief for large families
• enforcement of pay equity
• access to support and income relief for those caring for dependants at home
• improved information about, access to, and funding for, social services, including housing, and improved interface with WINZ
• subsidised childcare
• more flexible study options, including study from home and apprenticeship schemes.

Migrant and refugee women

Issues/Government and community solutions

One contributor who was identifiably a migrant or refugee worker responded to the questions associated with work-life balance. This contributor considered that women need to align their priorities with their family needs by, for example, encouraging their children to become interested in their mothers' community work. This contributor also considered there was a need for the public to be educated on, and to support, women's roles.

Low-income women

Issues

Eight contributors, who were identifiably low-income women, stated that their financial circumstances precluded their achievement of personal or professional aspirations. They also noted that their families have high expectations of them, and that they prioritise family responsibilities over work or community responsibilities. These contributors focused on:

• greater financial security
• access to affordable childcare (including support and childcare for children aged over 14 with disabilities)
• financial rewards for voluntary work
• financial incentives for work within the home

- greater input from their families.

Government and community solutions

• providing state-funded childcare
• providing more funding for support services, such as Plunket and midwifery services
• focusing WINZ case workers on the long-term unemployed, and reduce their case load so they can provide intensive and more effective support to their clients
• promoting shared responsibility for families.

Rural women

Issues

Eight contributors who were identifiably from rural locations noted that achieving such a balance was becoming increasingly difficult, in part due to the changing nature of rural communities, and in part due to societal demands and expectations. Specific issues included:

• additional challenges due to isolation from services and networks which invariably compromise personal aspirations
• increasing financial pressure to be involved in the paid workforce (including as self-employed farmers) resulting in rural women's lower participation in voluntary work in rural communities
• the value of work undertaken by rural women not being recognised, for example one woman considered to be 'not working' when responsible for administering a $2 million farm

- inaccessibility of childcare in rural locations meaning children are taken to work on the farm.

Government and community solutions

• greater accessibility to support services and childcare
• less societal emphasis on paid workforce participation
• recognition and financial reward for the services of volunteers
• family-friendly workplaces
• greater sharing of family responsibilities

- improved access to transportation and communications

• improving rural women's working conditions, including ensuring an equitable entitlement to paid parental leave for women working on farms, tax incentives for businesses providing family-friendly workplaces, and more flexible work arrangements and leave provisions
• tax incentives for employers to release staff on full pay to participate in voluntary work
• subsidised childcare costs, including allowances for a family carer
• encouraging women to participate in sport and recreational activities to develop more healthy lifestyles
• educational resources and opportunities for women transitioning back to the paid workforce
• realistic funding for community and voluntary sector agencies
• reducing the time burden involved in resource management applications, as it was considered rural women are disproportionately high participants in resource management processes.

Women with disabilities

Issues

Contributors who were identifiably representing, or were, women with disabilities noted that, contrary to popular opinion, women with disabilities participate in society just like other women, and are not simply the passive recipients of care. They stated that achieving a work-life balance takes hard work and demands that their personal aspirations are secondary to other responsibilities. These contributors suggested the following measures to improve their circumstances

Government and community solutions

• more flexibility in the disability allowance
• broadening the criteria for Specialist Education Services (SES)
• reintroducing the Family Benefit
• greater access to affordable, quality childcare, including care for children with disabilities aged over 14
• offering incentives to employers who employ part-time or job-share workers
• more funding for community services, such as Plunket and PAFT.

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Well-being

Pacific women

Issues

Thirteen contributors identifying as Pacific commented on the main well-being issues facing women.

• significant responsibility for overall family well-being and allocating limited resources within large families
• care and isolation of elderly people
• a need to focus on strengthening the family unit and cultural values
• support for single mothers
• the impact of gambling
• income pressures, which demand older Pacific people assume care-giving roles
• information about, and access to, social services
• lack of recognition of, and treatment for, mental illness
• lack of recognition, and use, of services to support people with disabilities
• sexual and reproductive health
• health ethics
• violence within the home
• employment opportunities
• housing for large families
• male-dominated decision-making
• media racism.

Government and community solutions

• income relief for low-income families with dependants
• increasing the funding for, and availability of, Pacific services providing appropriate and accessible care for Pacific women
• improved information on, and access to, services and support available for caregivers
• affordable, quality childcare
• retention of laws against prostitution, as Pacific women need employment in 'real jobs'
• increasing the length of hospital stays for maternity patients.

Migrant and refugee women

Issues

Five contributors who were identifiably migrant or refugee women commented on the main well-being issues facing women.

• access to education
• English language literacy
• access to social services
• mental health, including access to support for those with mental illnesses
• safety from harm
• the breakdown of family units as a result of family members living in refugee camps
• lack of recognition and acceptance of cultural values and practices
• erosion of cultural values and practices
• discrimination.

Government and community solutions

• review the Refugee Family Reunification Quota as some ethnic groups consider it does not meet their communities' needs
• within the context of the family reunification policy, dedicated New Zealand Immigration Service officials working directly with refugee families
• bi-lingual teachers to ensure both English language literacy and maintenance of first languages
• a wider acceptance among public officials and the wider community of ethnic specific values and practices
• consider an inquiry into (principally farm dwelling) ethnic women being prevented from having external contact by their husbands.

Low-income women

Issues

Eight contributors who were identifiably low-income women commented on the main well-being issues facing women.

• access to free health care
• discrimination against people with disabilities
• access to quality housing
• wider educational opportunities, including adult education and upskilling
• family violence
• access to information on available support services
• racism and sexism.

Government and community solutions

• support for access to special education
• reduced class sizes
• ensuring all schools have access to social workers
• legislation against smacking children
• advance work to ensure low-income women have access to adequate retirement income.

Rural women

Issues

Fourteen contributors who were identifiably from rural locations commented on the main well-being issues facing women, including:

• lack of services and infrastructure in rural communities
• education, including improved distance education
• a range of health issues, with particular references to public health, mental health, sexual and reproductive health, and the distance of rural women from health professionals and specialists
• housing supply in rural communities
• violence towards women
• gender discrimination
• lack of self-esteem and assertiveness.

Government and community solutions

• improving the infrastructure in rural communities, including public transportation, parks, street lighting, roading and footpaths
• legislation to prevent water suppliers shutting off residential water supply
• increasing funding for rural schools
• mobile health clinics or assistance for travel to health professionals
• lowering the age for free breast screening
• gender sensitive services for women with acute health related problems (including alcohol and drug related and mental health problems), which allow for children to reside with the mother during treatment
• government home mortgages for low-income women
• halting proposals to legislate for free access to privately owned land.

Women with disabilities

Issues

Eleven contributors who were identifiably representing, or were, women with disabilities, commented on the main well-being issues facing women.

• discrimination
• the lack of human rights protection
• the need to remove disabling barriers from society
• freedom of choice over health care, particularly the sexual and reproductive health of women with intellectual disabilities
• safety from family and carer violence, and safety from other forms of harm
• mental health
• access to sporting activities
• access to affordable and appropriate housing
• support for disabled parents
• equitable access to services and resources.

Government and community solutions

• initiating a disability awareness campaign, with the view to building a more inclusive society
• educating service providers, including medical professionals and public transport workers, about how to interact with people with disabilities
• encouraging and promoting empowerment, choice and self-determination among women with disabilities
• ensuring the full implementation of the New Zealand Disability Strategy
• reviewing the Ministry's gender analysis framework, to ensure it is inclusive of women with disabilities
• passing legislation to prevent employers exploiting women who are trying to remain in the workforce
• recognising arthritis as a major health issue, and conducting research accordingly
• longer hospital stays for maternity patients
• inclusion of gender analysis in the development of mental health policy and delivery of gender sensitive services
• increasing the health budget in relation to serious illness and decreasing surgical waiting lists
• more funding for Plunket
• ensuring advocacy and redress for harm caused by professionals
• reviewing prostitution laws to make it criminal for men to purchase sex from women and children
• reviewing the criteria for SES eligibility to ensure SES services are available to all those in need
• assistance to attend parenting and life skills programmes
• greater access to home help
• reviewing the basic wage.

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