Women Effectively Working for Free From Today
Women are working for free from today till the end of the year because of the gender pay gap and this needs to change,
says Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter.
The average man in New Zealand is paid 13.1 percent more than the average woman. From 14 November till the end of the
year, women are effectively working for free.
“New Zealanders expect women to be paid fairly for their work, but the gender pay gap shows that women are still being
underpaid,” said Ms Genter.
“A woman shouldn’t be paid less just because she is a woman or she works in a female dominated industry. Even after
adjusting for age, education, experience and other variables there’s still an unexplained gap.
“As Minister for Women I am committed to closing the gender pay gap, starting with the core public service, and working
on pay equality issues for New Zealand women.
“I encourage all New Zealand employers to look at what they can do to understand and close their gender pay gaps.
NOTE: The Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter, along with Workplace Relations Minister Iain Lees-Galloway, will receive
limited edition artworks at 11am on Parliament steps from the Public Service Association to thank the Government for
their strong stance on closing the gender pay gap.
ENDS