The Wireless

120 years on from the vote

17:38 pm on 24 January 2014

Women in New Zealand were the first in the world to win the right to vote in national elections, and this country consistently rates highly in international reports on the gender gap.

A Global Gender Gap report recently published by the World Economic Forum ranks this country seventh out of 136. 

But despite significant progress over the past 120 years, women are under-represented on boards and at parliament, earn on average 13 per cent less than men, and sexual violence remains a serious problem.

In tomorrow's Insight, Erina O'Donoghue will examine some of the challenges still faced by women in New Zealand in 2014. It airs on Radio New Zealand National at 8.12am, or you'll be able to access the audio online here shortly after broadcast.

Asked whether she thought gender equality existed in New Zealand, Victoria University student Michaela O'Connor, 19, told Erina she though there was "a mixed bag", dependent on individuals' circumstances.

"Obviously the statistics show that women aren't getting as high-paying jobs as men, and [many] women aren't facing equality, but ... I don't feel any discrimination being a woman. I feel that I've got the same rights as male counterparts. But I mean, I suppose that's because I'm in the environment that I'm in; ... Personally, I don't feel as though I get treated any [worse], or that I have less access to opportunities, education, or anything like that than a male would in my position, but I know that it does happen in wider society, and that still hasn't been eradicated."

She highlighted much of the media, especially beer advertising, and widespread use of misogynistic language, like the reference to women as 'bitches', as two areas of inequality. "I don't think there's anything much meant by it, but there's still the fact that people are using it, and that they think it's funny and OK to call women that, and that's prevalent in everyday life."

Yesterday Morning Report reported that top businesses are being urged to encourage more mothers to return to work to boost the country's economic growth.

 

In the meantime, here's PolicyMic's list of the 28 Most Iconic Feminist Moments of last year (featuring the Auckland Law Revue Girls' 'Blurred Lines' parody at #2); and a Guardian comment piece on how the movement alienates some minorities.