Today’s unemployment figures show the female unemployment rate to be 7.1% – the highest it’s been since 1998.
This bad news follows hard on the heels of the Government’s announcement that they will veto extensions to paid parental leave; their mother-bashing proposals under the so-called “welfare reforms” banner and the news that Police will no longer report family violence data in their annual report.
So it’s time to ask a few questions.
Why is Minister of Women’s Affairs, Jo Goodhew, sitting on her hands while her Government fails the women of New Zealand?
Why have two CEO’s resigned from the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in the three years that National has been the Government? (MWA CEO Rowena Phair has just announced her resignation this week)
What does National have against women and mothers in particular?
They can’t say they didnt know women were suffering. In March, EEO Commissioner, Dr Judy McGregor warned that the cuts to public service jobs; the disproportionate loss of retail, accommodation and food service jobs in Christchurch and the reliance on construction in Christchurch to lift employment would all lead to increasing unemployment for women.
Women are bearing the brunt of the Government’s inability to pull the economy out of recession.
Not only are women losing jobs, but they bear the brunt of the emerging housing crisis, the fire-at-will bill and short-sighted cuts in early childhood and tertiary education.
And as the economic mismangement puts financial pressure on the family budget, guess who cops it then? Shockingly, sometimes in a physical way.
But of course the Police annual stats will hide that fact and we can all go back to pretending that domestic violence doesnt exist.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Women’s Affairs sits quietly outside of Cabinet and that’s just the way the National Party like it.
Rowena Phair is moving to the Ministry of Education as Deputy Secretary, arguably a step up from her current role. Prior to Phair, Shenagh Gleisner finished in June 2010, after a term of five years. Hardly an unacceptable turnover is it? but I guess it depends how you choose to portray the facts. I mean, the Labour Party has turned over the same number of leaders in the same period of time
“the disproportionate loss of retail, accommodation and food service jobs in Christchurch and the reliance on construction in Christchurch to lift employment would all lead to increasing unemployment for women”
What would you do about this if you were the Minister Sue? Stop the earthquake from happening? Or would you stop reconstruction, because most of the construction jobs are held by men? Is it better that there are more men unemployed?
NZs unemployment rate is pretty good by world standards, despite the Christchurch earthquake. Please re-read what you write before publishing. Blaming the government for the effects of the earthquake on the unemployment of women is just stupid.
It was a direct quote from Judy McGregor, which I concur with. She was pointing out that the Government needed a plan to create jobs, instead of cutting the public service and relying on the re-build of Christchurch to provide employment growth.
I agree with her.
Sue, Judy McGregor’s comment rightly points out that recessions and disasters have a disproportionate effect on women. You turned it into a not very clever attack on the government.
In case you didn’t notice Sue the recession which started when your government was in power is behind us. New jobs are being created and the economy is starting to pick up much faster than the rest of the world. Would your government have done any better? And if so, how?
New jobs are being created, you reckon?
With unemployment soaring consistently upwards?
Pass the Tui.
Do you people think that there is plenty of opportunities for women here in Christchurch, think again. Sure the earthquakes were not our fault, the fault lies within the a particular party who does not think highly of women nor education for women. It seems they want to take us back in history where women shut up the the men have all the say. Christchurch is my hame, we are red zoned, it took me over three weeks to find a home for my family. I am a woman, a student at cant uni, struggling because males say that I should not study, here’s a little word to anational…get over it, woman are just as strong as males, in some cases women are capable of doing just about anything. How bout finding people homes, instead of them in damp garages and cars. You may moan and groan about bits n peices, but a home is required before ths cbd is required. Or how bout you guys give your home up to someone who needs it, but we do not see that happening.
You guys should stop your complaining, be grateful that you do not live in the red zone, be grateful that you have a home with no cracks or liquid faction, until you do you will never understand life in canterbury and how it has effected alot of people.
When I was at university I initially didn’t feel any different to the men around me. Later when I got into post-grad study I was sexually harassed, I believe, for not wanting to having sex with the men in the immediate faculties around me. The harassment was vocalised by the women but it might not have originated there, so I have an opinion about where the politics originates. I believe some women also buy into the role of women being a carer and a mother. I get annoyed by the women who agree to either be in these political parties or buy into these politics simply to stay in a job or be in power and are prepared to let the subtle nature of discrimination persist. The men on the left also need to be aware that they actually have more power as a group than women, I appreciate these men because they do actively care by voting left, but you need to be aware of how much women do struggle when they are on there own, its very easy to feel disenfranchised.
I don’t understand why the govt isn’t going to include domestic violence in the stats anymore. What is the reasoning behind this? It seems like a big jump backwards
I see many women and families struggling in my area (Hoon Hay and Wigram). The govt could do more to value highly feminised workforces (as Judy McGregor pointed out on Campbell Live last night, we cannot ignore or pretend we don’t know about low-paid workers in Aged Care and there are many other sectors/industries that continue to pay women less and offer less opportunities for advancement and flexible work). I believe Labour would not ignore the housing crisis – particularly in ChCh as Jan pointed out – I would also add that much of the Housing NZ stock is being repaired and there were insurance difficulties so there hasn’t been as much of a back up there as usual; market rentals are astoundingly expensive – what used to cost $150 is now $250 or more.
Solo parents are struggling the most – WINZ putting pressure on them to work regardless of the pay and hours does nothing to assist their predicament. If people can’t earn a living wage then they are trapped and disenfranchised and further depressed and oppressed. On minimum wage (roughly $420 after tax) rent takes up perhaps half of your wage if you are on your own – if you are supporting dependant children then things become even tougher. Most of the women I help are whingers, bludgers or expecting anything except respect and a leg up so that they and their children can eat and be warm.
There is a crisis and to continue to fight about when it started and who did what is a diversion and waste of time that we can’t afford.
Tax cuts for the 1% could have been taken back this budget and put into social services and other priorities. Money has been shuffled around to no good effect. I am sick of hearing that “we can’t affort it” – what we can’t afford is to have a generation grow up in poverty and continue a cycle of poverty. Poverty doesn’t only cost the families it directly effects – it is a HUGE cost to our education and health sector and costs if those people end up in the justice system or don’t get productive, living-wage jobs.