(Newswire.net — March 25, 2021) — With the youngest ever female prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, currently in power, New Zealand is certainly leading by example when it comes to women’s empowerment in the workplace. In addition to this inspiring example of a woman excelling in an authoritative role, Egon Zehnder’s Global Board Diversity Tracker found that two-thirds of new directors in New Zealand were women.
This is an excellent development in workplace gender diversity, but inequalities still persist around the world. Often, there’s a distinct divide between men’s and women’s roles, and some workplaces may only hire men for jobs that are deemed masculine, such as frontline workers in the emergency services, as well as CEO positions. Issues also crop up when a female employee announces a pregnancy, for example, with 43% of mothers facing maternity discrimation as a result.
What’s more, UN Women found that 119 countries have never had a female leader, and only 22 currently have a female head of government. If progress continues at the same rate, it will take around 130 years to achieve gender parity, which simply isn’t sustainable. Here we look at New Zealand’s success in this area, and what governments and employers around the world can learn from the country to improve gender diversity elsewhere.
How has New Zealand made progress?
Jacinda Ardern has been committed to closing the gender pay gap ever since her election in 2017. Just one month after becoming prime minister, she pledged equity for women in the public sector within four years. And in 2020, the Equal Pay Amendment Bill was passed to ensure employees were not paid less because of their gender. It aims for women in historically underpaid female-dominated industries to receive the same remuneration as men in different, but equal-value, work.
The cabinet consists of 40% women and 25% Māori, of which two in five are women, and this has been heavily influenced by Ardern’s good example, ensuring her stance on gender equality was reflected in her own workplace, making this the most diverse parliament in the country’s history. New Zealand’s gender pay gap action plan for 2020/21 includes measures such as continuing to identify pay inequality, ensuring flexible working hours are available to all, and that practices are free from bias and discrimination.
How can other governments follow suit?
In light of New Zealand’s success, there are lots of ways other governments can do more for workplace gender diversity in their own country. First, a shift in thinking is necessary as gender equality requires unlearning decades of bias about gender and work. This can be achieved by implementing gender neutral recruitment processes, reviewing salaries, and diversifying the board.
To level the playing field, nations must establish equal hiring rates for women and men, especially for roles commonly associated with men, which can be achieved by assessing all pay gap data. After all, Ardern has shown how it can be done.
Implementing legal reforms surrounding gender is a great place to start. New Zealand’s government has introduced effective governance structures, recognised the vulnerabilities of particular groups and individuals, and implemented specialised human rights mechanisms. As Ardern has demonstrated, changing legislation is key to improving gender inequality, so countries should be providing regulations for equal pay. For instance, The World Bank’s most recent Women, Business, and the Law report notes that, since 2017, seven economies have introduced legislation requiring employers to grant equal pay for work of equal value, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Nepal.
What can employers do to improve gender diversity?
While government bodies are partly responsible for improving diversity in the workplace, employers are essential too as they are the ones hiring employees. Some of the largest employers in New Zealand, including Auckland Council, Fonterra, and Coca-Cola Amatil have joined an initiative called Gender Tick, which accesses business across areas like gender inclusive culture, gender pay equality, and women in leadership.
There are various ways for employers to boost their gender equality programs in the workplace. Starting with cultural and organizational changes. This includes hiring more senior-level female workers, and promoting those already within the organization. Businesses can also provide better opportunities for a stronger work-life balance, as well as improved access to childcare and flexible working. Implementing these measures helps qualified mothers play an active role in the corporate world. However, gender equality is not achieved by hiring more women alone, and companies need to be creating workplace cultures that make workers feel a sense of belonging and acceptance, regardless of gender.