11 July 2011

“Comments made about women by the mastermind of the ACT party’s ad campaign are derogatory, discriminatory, insulting and completely wide of the mark,” National Council of Women NZ (NCWNZ) President Elizabeth Bang said today.

NCWNZ is a long established not for profit organisation whose objective is to improve the status, quality of life and well-being of women, their families and the community.

Elizabeth Bang was commenting on John Ansell’s remarks that women don’t use their brains when making hard decisions and are less focussed on improving society than they are on keeping their relationships intact.

“Mr Ansell’s comments are in the same vein as those of disgraced former Employers and Manufacturers CEO Alasdair Thompson. They are unsupported by evidence and imply that women’s contribution to society is of less value than men’s,” Elizabeth Bang said.

“The National Council of Women has been working for over 100 years to improve the status and quality of life not only of New Zealand women, but of their families and their communities.

“Our endeavours have made a very significant contribution to the social and economic fabric of this country. For example, our success in getting women the vote and subsequently getting women into Parliament has enabled New Zealand to benefit from the leadership of two outstanding women Prime Ministers.”

Elizabeth Bang said another example is NCWNZ's ‘Reclaim the Night’ Campaign, which contributed to ACC overhauling its clinical pathway process to better support the needs of victims of sexual assault.

“To someone who thinks women don’t talk bluntly, NCWNZ has some blunt words for John Ansell - haul yourself out of the 19th century and enlighten yourself.”

ENDS

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