Equal Pay

Tags: Equal Pay

It's time women were paid 100%. Unless something’s done soon, today’s working women will never be paid on an equal footing with men - It’s quite possible our daughters won’t either.

This is what we need:

• PSA members – men and women – demanding pay justice, regardless of gender.

• Employment law that supports collective bargaining.

• Fair and transparent pay systems, openly negotiated.

• Government funding to redress pay inequities in public and community services.

Common terms

Gender pay gap: Gap between women’s average pay and men’s average pay.

Equal pay: Same job, same pay. Different job but of equal value, same pay.

Pay equity: Same average pay for women and men.

Job evaluation: Tool to measure job size.

UPDATE: Cabinet is considering the recommendations of the Joint Working Group right now. Tell them they should accept them in full! Sign this Action Station petition here, or click here to send a postcard to the Prime Minister.

What's the latest on the fight for equal pay?

Check out the What Is Equal Pay website - which explains more about Kiwi women's century-long fight for equal pay, and gives some facts and figures about how people in "women's work" jobs are disadvantaged.

Become an equal pay advocate for the PSA

Equal pay advocates are PSA members, male and female, who are the champions of equal pay in big and little ways at work and at home.

As an equal pay advocate you will:

add your voice to PSA members’ fight for equal pay in our campaign: Worth 100%
talk to your workmates and ask them to join the union – the more people who join the union the sooner we will win equal pay
put up Worth 100% posters, hand out badges, leaflets and stickers
pass on updates about the Worth 100% campaign to your fellow workers and keep them in the loop
make your views known to politicians by talking to the MP in your local area – give them the relevant Worth 100% leaflets and explain how the pay gap affects you and your family
talk with your union delegates and organiser about planning equal pay activities for your area
attend events related to equal pay and take others along to them.

How to sign up:
Become a PSA equal pay advocate by clicking on the join campaign button. You will automatically receive updates about the PSA Worth 100% campaign.

The gender pay gap is the difference between the average hourly rate for women and for men. It’s closing at a snail’s pace, and we’ve still got a long way to go.

Women graduates are paid, on average, 6 per cent less than their male counterparts at the very start of their careers. Within four years, they are earning nearly $5,000 a year less and the gap continues to widen.

In the public sector, women are paid 14 per cent less than men but it’s an average that conceals massive pay gaps, up to a staggering 42 per cent at the Ministry of Defence.

The gender pay gap represents a huge loss of earnings over a working life that can severely limit a woman’s choices and those of her children. It can mean the difference between a comfortable retirement and scrimping on food and heating costs.

Support work is paid around one-third less than work with similar levels of skills and qualifications but largely done by men.

Work done mainly by women is generally undervalued; skills and experience are largely ignored.

In the past, men were the bread-winners and women the carers and home-makers. When women entered the paid workforce, they were paid less than men by law. Historical assumptions still influence the pay difference between men and women.

Community-based support services for the elderly, disabled, and mentally ill are funded mainly by the government but provided by a minimum-wage workforce, mainly women. The low rates of pay don’t reflect the value of this essential work nor the range of skills required.

A job evaluation commissioned by the PSA found that support work is paid around one-third less than work with similar levels of skills and qualifications but largely done by men. Last year, the Employment Court found that a support worker’s $14.32 hourly rate was the result of gender discrimination in breach of the Equal Pay Act. The ground-breaking decision is under appeal.

Administrative work is another example of undervaluing work done mainly by women. In hospitals, it’s the only occupational group not to have national rates, with the result that, in some parts of the country, admin workers are paid little more than the minimum wage.

Men who work in these sorts of jobs are also disadvantaged by these low rates of pay.

Even in occupations that are not traditionally undervalued, women can experience discrimination and lower pay.

Fewer women are appointed to the higher-earning senior positions. Women make up 60 percent of the public service workforce but only 30 percent of the top jobs.

Discretionary pay systems, which have prevailed across the public sector, have been shown to disadvantage women. Women tend to be placed on lower starting rates than men with equivalent skills, and experience slower salary progression.