INFO : Wage gap between men and women highlighted

07 November 2006 By LANE NICHOLS

Kiwi women slogging it out in female-dominated jobs earn around a third less than men with similar experience in traditionally masculine careers, a new report reveals.

Experienced female caregivers, cafe workers and retail assistants could earn an extra $15,000 a year on average if they switched to predominantly male trades such as building, plumbing or engineering.

The findings have caught the attention of the Equal Employment Opportunities commissioner and sparked concerns about gender-based occupational segregation in this country.

The Wages and Costs of Education and Training report was compiled by the Ministry of Women's Affairs to assess the financial reward associated with certain gender-specific careers for female job seekers.

Women's Affairs Minister Lianne Dalziel said the findings showed wages for qualified, experienced staff were around 45 per cent higher in male dominated trade-related occupations than in traditionally female jobs.

But that was not necessarily obvious to someone deciding on a career path as starting rates tended to be similar.

Researchers surveyed 115 organisations across 14 work-based training sectors, comparing wages, qualification requirement and training costs.

Male-dominated careers surveyed in the report included building, painting, bricklaying, mechanics, engineering and plumbing. Training costs in these fields were usually paid by employers.

Traditionally female occupations were hairdressing, travel agents, caregivers, beauty therapists, cafe workers, retail assistants and administrators. The workers usually paid for their own training.

On average, a qualified person with five years' experience in a female-dominated trade earned $34,000 a year based on a median hourly rate of $16.50.

A man with similar experience working in a predominantly male trade earned $50,000 a year – or $24 an hour.

Hairdressers and travel agents were exceptions. Both had the highest reported earnings of the 14 trades thanks to a hefty commission component.

Ms Dalziel said recent data showed the pay gap between men and women was reducing, but women's median hourly earnings still lagged 12 per cent behind men's.

"This is the kind of information I believe all young people should know about before they make the decision about what field to enter."

Equal Employment Opportunities commissioner Judy McGregor said the findings were concerning, though not a surprise.

There was a mistaken belief that women were not concerned about money when choosing a profession.

Young female job seekers needed better information about career prospects and pay, she said.

The ministry plans further work to assess whether young people will use the report's findings when choosing a career and whether the modern apprenticeship scheme is accessible to women. It will also look at whether gender-based occupational segregation has any economic impacts.

from Stuff