The National Party Government of New Zealand decided to abolish the Department of Labour's Pay and Employment Equity Unit yesterday, saying that they had to reprioritize funding and this just didn't make the cut. Even worse, our reader Melissa reports, is that none of the national news is covering the critical cut. She sent along this link, which too "a bit of a mission to find." An excerpt:
This shows an absolute disregard for the thousands of women workers in this country whose work is undervalued simply because they are women, said CTU President Helen Kelly. This decision destroys hopes that the unfairness in women's pay will be rectified soon."This is the second time that the National Party has rejected pay equity," said Kelly. "They dumped pay equity legislation as soon as they took office in 1990, and now they have done it again. Both the Minister of Labour and the Minister of Women's Affairs claim that National has been committed to gender equality since 1972. Their words of support for equal pay for women are utterly hollow."
Women in New Zealand are paid on average at least 12 per cent less than men doing the same jobs. In the public sector the gap is as much as 35 per cent.
Thanks to Melissa for the heads up.
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Thanks for posting this Courtney!
A major news outlet finally decided to cover it:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/2411034/Coffin-nailed-shut-on-womens-pay-equity
And it was on A7 of the capital-city paper (Dominion Post), which is pretty far in as nothing much happens here in NZ. (crumbs are better than nothing, I guess)
The paper that covered it is borderline anti-woman on a daily basis and this is yet another example.
I think I might start documenting it.
We have covered this extensively on The Hand Mirror, a New Zealand feminist group blog. Pay equity at The Hand Mirror.
We led a pay-equity faxathon - many thanks to Julie, one of our number, who made it happen. We have a Pay Equity Hub on The Hand Mirror where we are making an on-going effort to document MSM articles and of course, blog posts about it.
Pay equality exists in New Zealand. It is against the law in NZ to pay different wages because of gender. This was sorted out in the 70's.
The problem with the Department of Labour's Pay and Employment Equity Unit is the attitude of the leaders.
I interviewed Dr. Mc Gregor last year and her exact words were, "Men have ruled for 1000's of years and it is women's turn". You can't have feminists like this running the department of labour and she really shouldn't be on the Human's Rights Commission with this attitude either. She is hateful to men. And that is discrimination itself.
The other thing is that it is mothers who are making the equity unbalanced. Single women are earning more than men on the whole.
National MP Paula Bennett is a single mother. I am a single mother. We both value our time with our children and do not beleive forcing all single mothers to work is the right thing to do. We believe mothers should still have a choice. We both know how hard it is to raise children and be full time workers.
The NZ unions also beleive single mothers should have a choice.
But the Labour government has moved heavily into childcare where mothers are to hand their children over to the state who believes Psychologists on boards (not in the childcare facilities) can better raise our children.
I don't see why women have to follow feminism ideology if they don't want to.
Oh good grief...
Look, I know how NZ has a group of men at the top in the corporations. And I am all for breaking the glass ceiling. (that is part of the equity move)
I am also for having good women with healthy attitudes empowering women (in Parliament). But just let other women in instead of only those who are brainwashed easily. A bit of debate is positive.
What I am not for is an ideology where men are all considered rapists and wife beaters because I and many single mothers as well as married mothers have sons.
Did you know the Pacific Island women beat their men more than their men beat the women? No! You probably don't know what goes on behind closed doors to keep feminism ideology alive. The Pacific Islanders have men's refuges.
The best thing you young women can do is find a new way. Balance what the 'old way' did.
And kick out the extreme.
Geez, mareika101, I hope you're not a smoker. Because if you were to light a match in the same room with all those strawmen you've surrounded yourself with, the whole place would go up like Guy Fawkes.
Believe it or not but I am hoping to do you a favour. I believe feminism was a needed thing to happen.
But much of it's small history is unrecognised.
Are you aware that women as mothers were told to feminise their sons? This was not a bad thing and included boys and girls in co-ed schools.
A great idea. IMO. What a wonderful way for them mixing together for equality.
But most women did not fit the radical feminisation because some feminist attacked saying, "You didn't do well enough". And everyone of those women were exempted from a say.
Some of those women had been the best fighters for feminism. For some even their mothers were fighters for equality and worked damn hard as suffragettes giving their whole lives for women instead of caring for their own personal gain.
Are you aware when they decided on the idea, "Girl power" that most women argued it should have been children power and that most women wanted to include boys?
And that these women were also Psychologists?
But they were disowned by the movement.
I wonder who truly fights for women. Me or You. Is it I who should be mocked or is it YOU?
Hmm... nah, you're the mockable one.
You can mocked me if it makes you feel strong. I can put up with it.
Hey, don't ask a rhetorical question if you don't want to hear the answer.
Deborah!!! THANK YOU!!
I have been looking for a NZ feminist blog since I moved here over a year ago...
Yay! You Rock!
I'm glad you've found us, merichan. I shifted over the Tasman to Australia about a year ago, 'though my heart remains in NZ, and it took me quite some time to find my way around the Australian feminist blogs. If you're looking for a great monthly round-up of down under feminism, keep an eye out for the Down Under Feminists Carnival. The homepage is on Hoyden About Town, and the most recent edition is up at Zero at the Bone. It usually appears in the first few days of each month, and we always put up a post announcing it at The Hand Mirror.
Okay... thread jack over.
I would like to say thank-you to this site for allowing discussion on this.
I have commented on one of the sites given here and welcomed readers from there to here so we can get together instead of being divided. (this is the first site I commented on and don't have the energy to jump between sites)
I like the idea that mothers and even grandmothers can unite with young women. It is the way forward for unity.
Please feel free to speak up but please try not to put me down as a person. That is sooo childish and as feminists or not we should be able to talk to each other like adults.
Gee, thanks for the patronising remarks, mareika101.
There's a vigorous discussion occurring at The Hand Mirror, on pay equity, informed by NZ feminists who know the nuances and history of NZ politics. Mareika101 has run with the same strawmen over there too, word for word.
Please feel free to speak up but please try not to put me down as a person. That is sooo childish and as feminists or not we should be able to talk to each other like adults.
I find this ironic since you suggested to portia (and I believe, by extension, the contemporary feminist movement) that she was "mockable", something that I hardly think is adult discourse. Also, your posts here and at THM have been characterised by what I feel I kind of have to call "making shit up." I'm also not sure this is a really adult thing to do.
Which part do you have a problem with?