If you are a woman living and working in New Zealand there’s a very real possibility you are earning less than your male counterpart for the same role.
A study conducted last year by researchers at Motu Economic and Public Policy Research found that when men and women contributed the same value to their firms, women were paid less than men, on average.
Overall, the gender pay gap in New Zealand – which is the median hourly wages of men and women in full or part-time work – is 9.4 per cent. While researchers did find that women were over-represented in low-paying industries, this only accounted for a small percentage of the overall gender wage gap.
The study concluded that the biggest problem is sexism. The cold, hard truth is that women earn less than men for doing the same jobs, and even worse – the older we get, the wider the pay gap.
In this video we presented the stats to Kiwi celebrities Sam Hayes, Antonia Prebble, Angela Bloomfield, Makaia Carr, Matilda Rice, Ben Barrington, Jeremy Corbett and My Food Bag’s Cecelia Robinson. Their emotional responses are endearing and moving.
Pick up the June issue of NEXT to read more about this issue. Every copy comes with an exclusive camellia pin featuring geometric ‘leaves’ surrounding a traditional camellia – a symbol of the suffragette movement. NEXT magazine is asking readers to wear the pin to show their support for closing the gender pay gap and to encourage conversation around this important issue. Who are you going to talk to today about closing the gap?
