Alliance releases Women’s Policy
11 July 2002
Alliance leader and Women’s Affairs Minister Laila Harré has released a women’s policy aimed at improving women’s health and wellbeing, and progressing their economic equality and educational outcomes.
The 2002 policy also makes a clear case for a package of initiatives to help working mothers strike a more comfortable balance between work and family life.
“Alliance policy reflects the fact that women are a diverse group, and some groups of women face greater barriers to full participation than others.
“Mothers, Maori and Pacific Island women, refugee and migrant women, rural women, lesbians and women with disabilities face particular barriers to full participation.
“An important part of strengthening families and communities is making sure women are well connected and supported, whatever their role is, and this policy promotes a range of ways to make this happen.”
The Alliance will:
- Ensure equal education, training and
employment opportunities for women and girls
- Provide
opportunities for women to participate in the full range of
occupations for the same pay as men
- Recognise the
contribution women make in unpaid work, particularly as
carers
- Address physical violence against women and
promote access to justice
- Actively promote sexual and
reproductive health options and adopt the Abortion
Supervisory Committee’s recommendations
- Promote women
centred mental health services
- Decriminalise
prostitution
- Implement Te Rito, the Family Violence
Prevention Strategy
- Ensure the engagement of Maori
women in all areas affecting their lives
Laila Harre said while New Zealand has rid the statute books of clearly discriminatory legislation, women remain on the back foot when it comes to the gender pay gap and the way their work is valued.
“Initiatives like paid parental leave and steps taken recently to generate discussion around pay equity are a great start, but we need to keep the momentum up if we are to see a real shift in the status of women.”
For a
full copy of the policy check out www.alliance.org.nz
Policy 2002
Women’s Policy Summary
The Issues
Nearly 110 years after New Zealand women became the
first in the world with the right to vote there is still a
considerable way to go until women have real equality.
Women take home significantly less pay than
men,
Although women are participating in paid
work in ever increasing numbers there has been very little
adaptation by the rest of society to their roles as
employee/mother/family carer,
Women shoulder the
burden of the bulk of unpaid and caring work done in our
society,
Women live longer than men, but have
poorer physical and mental health,
Women are
under-represented at all levels of key decision-making in
New Zealand,
The brunt of sexual and physical
violence in the home and the workplace continues to be borne
by women
Women experience barriers in accessing
justice.
Women are a diverse group. The daily and lifetime situations and conditions that women experience mean that some groups, including mothers, Maori and Pacific Island women, refugee and migrant women, rural women, lesbians and women with disabilities face particular barriers to achieving equality. The Alliance promotes substantive equality for all women.
The Goals
The Alliance will
address critical work and education issues for women and
girls by:
ensuring equal education, training and
employment opportunities exist inside and outside the formal
education system
providing opportunities for
women to participate at all levels in the full range of
occupations at an adequate and reliable income
recognising the contributions made by women in their unpaid
work
ensuring that women receive equal pay for
work of equal value
extending the coverage,
duration and payment rate for paid parental
leave
amending the ‘good faith’ provisions of
the Employment Relations Act to require employers to
directly address workers’ family responsibilities
introducing universal and free childcare,
beginning with 15 hours a week for 3 and 4 year
olds
investigating the feasibility of a
universal basic income for all.
In health, the Alliance
will:
operate effective national cervical and
breast screening programmes that are accessible, and
culturally sensitive
promote a choice of
qualified birth attendants for women and adequate post-natal
care
encourage women-centred mental health
services
provide positive information on sexual
and reproductive health and free contraception
adopt the Abortion Supervisory Committee's recommendation
that all medical practitioners may become certifying
consultants for termination purposes.
In addition
the Alliance will:
ensure more effective
strategies and increased funding to protect women from
violence,
decriminalise
prostitution,
ensure observance of the Crown’s
Treaty of Waitangi principles of partnership, participation
and protection and promote active engagement with Maori
women to ensure their involvement in all areas affecting
their
lives.