No suprises : Women workers worse off

The contribution women make to our economy continues to be undervalued, says Labour’s Women’s Affairs spokesperson Sue Moroney.

Figures released in the Household Economic Survey (Income) today for the year ended June 2012, provide a striking example of the continued economic inequalities between men and women.

The survey reveals that as at 30 June 2012, 259,500 men had a personal income of $80,000 or more whereas only 92,500 women had a personal income of $80,000 or more.

“That is a huge discrepancy that should not be brushed off by Jo Goodhew, National’s Minister for Women’s Affairs.

“And it gets worse. According to the survey, women outnumber men at every income decile below 47,000 and Men outnumber women at every income decile above 47,000.

“Not only are women bearing the brunt of high unemployment but they are being treated as second-class citizens when it comes to the world of paid work.

“Minister Goodhew is clearly failing to deliver on her goal of creating greater economic independence for women. Her only plan to close the gender pay gap is to tell women they should do men's jobs.

“That strategy alone is doomed to fail. Occupations dominated by women are too often undervalued and that is reflected in today’s statistics.

“This is 2012 - these kinds of systemic inequalities are beyond justification,” Sue Moroney said.