Employment

Women and Employment

The Ministry is committed to improving the employment experiences of women in New Zealand. The Ministry believes that women should be able to balance their participation in employment with their other responsibilities (for example family and community) and that women should be encouraged to pursue employment in whatever occupation they choose.

Women’s participation in work, family, and community

The Ministry’s goal for women is that they have the opportunity to develop and use their skills and talents in ways that allow them to fully participate in paid employment, family and community.

The gender pay gap has hovered at around 12-13 percent for the past decade. The causes of this gap are complex and explained in part by the fact that women take more time out of the workforce (to care for children), tend to be concentrated in lower paid jobs, and are less likely to be in senior management roles.

The Ministry believes new and innovative approaches are required to reduce the gender pay gap and its work programme is focused on addressing the factors that contribute to that ongoing pay gap. Enabling women who are in low paid caring roles to undertake training and improve their skills base, for example, is one way of improving the prospects of these women and moving them out of low paid work. This will be a focus for the Ministry over the next 2-3 years.

Another focus will be on understanding what is driving the differences in salaries that emerge between female and male students within a year of graduating, and what can be done to reduce these differences which are potentially impacting on our economic productivity.

A further area of attention will be looking at what more can be done to promote flexible work practices at all levels of an organisation so that women with a high level of skill and experience can be more widely used within the economy than many of them are being at present. Because women continue to provide more of the caring in our society, they are more likely to work part time and to take time out of the workforce, which can affect their job experience, career progression and income. Enabling both men and women to share in the care of children is likely to offer benefits to men, women and children.  

Occupational segregation

Women and men are concentrated in different industries and occupations, and some of the most common occupations for women are assigned low value and are relatively low-paid. The Ministry is committed to removing any institutional barriers women face that limit their education and workplace opportunities. 

To reduce occupational segregation and lift incomes for women, the Ministry is working with Career Services on strategies to improve the information provided to young women in relation to non-traditional occupations. It will also work with emerging industries to identify any potential barriers that may restrict women’s participation in those industries.

Last updated 22 September 2009