New Zealand women can expect to be paid 12 percent less than a man. For the past decade the Gender Pay Gap has stayed this way in New Zealand but why?
Rotorua based Marama Meikle who operates He Wairua Ngakau holistic hub says that the pay inequality between men and women is only going to get higher if we don't do anything about it.
Pay inequality between men and women is a major talking point on International Women's Day.
Marama Meikle (He Wairua Ngakau) says, “I think that women should be paid the same as a man, I think that we as a people, as humanity no one is better or less than another, I think that the government needs to be paying more attention to promoting the value of women out there in the workforce.”
Meikle who is self-employed owns and operates He Wairua Ngakau Māori Art and design in Rotorua. She says has had personal experience of being paid a low rate; which is why she has created her own business.
“Employers need to be focusing on the skill set on a person rather than an agenda and I know that, well my views is that women, Māori women in particular are at the lower scale of pay than Pākeha,” says Meikle.
International women's groups globally are calling for a better working world. Marama Meikle is calling for women to speak up and not to continue in silence.
Meikle says, “It's too common that women are experiencing sexual harassment in the work place, and even outside of that, and not feeling that they are actually worthy of being heard when they do speak up.”
International Women's Day is held annually on the 8th of March. This year's theme is accelerating gender parity.