by frog
Another Minister has been caught out misusing statistics and being economical with the truth. This time it is Women’s Affairs Minister Pansy Wong, replying to a Parliamentary Question from Catherine Delahunty:
Catherine Delahunty: How does the Minister think the 12 percent pay gap between men and women will ever be closed when women have no voice on Government groups shaping the future of our economy, our infrastructure, and our education system?
Hon PANSY WONG: I have very good news for that member. For 9 long years under the previous Labour Government, the 12 percent pay gap increased to 12.8 percent for the year ended June 2008. For the year ended June 2009, the pay gap had gone down to 11.3 percent. The National Government is working for women.
Part of Wong’s problem is that National wasn’t in Government for much of the period she referred to, and its policies wouldn’t have started to have much, if any, effect until near the end of the period she referred to.
I also cannot work out where she gets the 11.3% gap for June 2009 from. The Household Labour Force Survey reveals the average hourly male wage for June 2009 to be $26.14, while the average hourly female wage was $22.34. That equates to a gender pay gap of 12.0% – not 11.3%.
Let’s look at the December 2009 figures from the Household Labour Force Survey and compare them with December 2008 – that covers the first full year of the National-led government, which is a far more relevant period:
Source: Statistics NZ Household Labour Force Survey
The gender pay gap has actually increased from 12.45% to 12.97% - some very bad news for the Minister, I would suggest.
Catherine also does a great job highlighting the paucity of woman appointees on important Government boards. See the full video of the questions and replies:
Published in Economy, Work, & Welfare by frog on Fri, February 19th, 2010
Tags: Catherine Delahunty, gender pay gap, lies, pansy wong, pay equity
on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
Yet another example of why Wong should get the award for Most Useless Women’s Affairs Minister Ever.
Could we please have a Women’s Affairs Minister who is actually a feminist?
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Jenny Shipley was the Minister of Women’s Affairs who also presided, in her capacity as Minister of Social Welfare, over the 1991 benefit cuts, including the abolition of the Family Benefit and cuts of up to 24% in DPB rates.
I think she must take that award mcol. Wong, in failing to resist the abolition of pay equity initiatives, comes a close second, but Shipley was associated with that too back in the ’90s when National also refused to make no progress on pay equity.
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However, I still stand by the second part of my statement. A Women’s Affairs Minister who actually cared about women would be a breath of fresh air.
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ooh, the video is even better than the transcript I read!
mcol,
I couldn’t agree with you more. Even under Labour, there wasn’t this degree of arrogant disengagement.
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