Gender pay gap New Zealand 2010-2019

The gender pay gap, that is the difference in the median hourly earnings of men and women, in several developed nations is known to be relatively low. Such was the case of New Zealand where the gender pay gap recorded in the year 2019 was 9.3 percent, a significant decrease from the pay gap in 2016.

Wage differences among New Zealanders

The highest gender pay gap in New Zealand in 2019, amounting to nearly 17 percent, was found between male and female professionals followed by technicians and trade workers. Despite an increase in average hourly earnings between 2015 and 2019, the pay gap remained consistent, with male employees earning 33.89 New Zealand dollars per hour and female employees earning 29.85 New Zealand dollars as of 2019. Among those holding multiple jobs in 2019, it was found that men worked longer hours in a week than women.

Women in the workplace

Back in 2016, the female to male ratio in professional and technical work environments showed 1.25 female employees for every male employee. Since then, New Zealand’s female workforce has expanded dramatically, peaking to 1.27 million employees in 2020. Moreover, a 2018 survey indicated that over one million women were quite satisfied with their main job.