Celebrating Pay Equity: One Wheel on the Tricycle of Gender-Blind Economic Independence
It’s been a long time in the making, but New Zealand now has pay equity legislation. Workers can access a process that brings the pay of a female-dominated workforce in-line with comparable male-dominated workforces’ pay. Today it’s worth celebrating this milestone towards achieving gender-blind economic independence for everyone in New Zealand.
It’s also the right moment to acknowledge the other barriers, aside from pay, that we need to get right if we are serious about gender-blind economic independence.
High-quality, affordable childcare and flexible employment need to be part of the story, otherwise it grinds to a halt like a tricycle with only one wheel.
In 2017, Stats NZ found that one in six working parents had a challenge with childcare. Availability and affordability were the two biggest issues. The challenge disproportionately impacted working mums (23%) compared to less than 10% of dads. Over half of those who found childcare a challenge either resigned, turned down or stopped searching for work. This results in many women who would love to be working unable to do so because the childcare they need is out of reach.
Flexible work goes a long way to avoiding this outcome for the other half of the people in this story. 49% said they made changes to their work. This demonstrates the importance of the many flexible employers who support working parents with the juggle of childcare and paid employment.
The tricycle wheels of fair pay, childcare and flexible work have become my entire professional life. I founded My Kids Village back in 2016 to help working parents find the childcare they need to manage the juggle. I also work with organisations every day to help them build a flexible workplace and fair pay systems. It was with this tricycle that I was recognised as a ‘Champion’ finalist in the 2019 Fair Pay Awards.
We need every business leader and politician to be really clear about the three wheels it will take to achieve this important goal.
Since the covid-19 lockdown lifted I have seen a dramatic uptake in the willingness to try more flexible work options in many workplaces, which is really encouraging. There are so many flexible options for organisations to get behind, especially if they are really serious about leading the way. Job-sharing is an under-explored option in New Zealand that gives working parents a guilt-free, part-time work experience at the most senior level. I would love to find a business leader prepared to give it a try and support them to make it successful. If this sounds like you, let’s talk.
When it comes to childcare, finding employers who really get why this matters for working parents would be wonderful. It is so rarely talked about in workplaces, yet represents a real barrier for many. That’s why I founded My Kids Village, because I saw so many families trying to solve this problem alone, when it’s a shared, collective issue. If you’re an employer that supports the growth and mission of My Kids Village and want to offer practical support for parents seeking the childcare they need, let’s talk.
Gender-blind economic independence is something we have been striving for as a country for decades and progress has been painfully slow. Today’s step towards fair pay is a significant one that we need to celebrate. With the three tricycle wheels of fair pay, flexible work and accessible childcare I know we can move faster, so that economic independence is a gift we can give to our sons and daughters alike.