The gap between men's and women's pay has not changed much in the last five years, and women are still earning almost 20% less than men.

Figures in the latest Labour Market 1995 survey produced by Statistics NZ show that womens pay averages 81.1% of men's pay. This is better than the 78.2% of ten years ago, but only a slight improvement on the 80.9% of five years ago.

The gender pay gap is found across all NZ regions, industries and the private and public sectors.

The Statistics NZ figures are based on ordinary-time hourly earnings. This compensates for a common explanation for the pay gap that men work longer hours than women and are paid more overtime.

The gap is wider in the public sector than the private sector, despite the legal requirement for state employers to adopt equal employment opportunity programmes.

Women in the public sector receive 77.8% of men's pay, and in central government the gap is even wider with women earning 75.4% of men's pay.

In the private sector, the gender gap is widest in the business and financial sectors, with women earning 67.5% of men's pay. Trading banks have one of the biggest pay gaps, with women here earning 61.7%

NZ is not alone in paying women less than men. A recent UN report cited by Statistics NZ shows that women's average wages are lower than men's in all 55 countries for which the UN has information. Across the 55 countries, women earn an average of 75% of men's pay.

The UN report ranks NZ 18th out of 55 countries, behind Australia, Sweden and Norway, but ahead of the United States, Britain and Canada.

Australian women are doing remarkably better than NZ women. They earn an average of 91% of men's pay.

Source - The Dominion 24 April 1996 "Gender pay difference proves stubborn"