Gender Pay gap and human Rights Commission interview

**julie** · 4th-December-2007

I saw an article in the NZHerald which is the main newspaper for New Zealand. It spoke briefly of what the problems were for the wage gaps for the elderly and minority groups and included the gender pay gap.

Because it was brief and gave a name of someone on the Human Rights Commission, I decided to make an appointment for an interview using my charity group status with the head of the steering group. I would say that means the feminist who is steering the agenda.

I am sure that all Western Countries are moving in the same direction because all this is calculated very carefully on a world wide scale. We have a few feminists who are main people on one or more committees for the UN. I would say that you would also discover that heads of departments and even the head of women's refuge in your country would also be a main player in there as well.

What is interesting is that we have a 'Pay and Equity Unit' formed to work on planning and implementing changes to make things equal.

NZ has the lowest minimum wage in the OCED. I do wonder after speaking with Dr Judy Mc Gregor whether this is being used as a plan to manipulate the Labour vote for 2008. You see, Labour intends to put up the minimum wage to $12.50 and then to $15.00. At the moment it is $11.00.

They have been putting through some radical laws which have made them unpopular (no smacking bill and electoral bill) and for the next election they have lowered the voting age to 17 and have made a law which entitles youth wages to be the same as adult wages. These are very cunning people that are running our country and Labour has a plan to make Labour the default party. Any move from a Labour party in the future will mean a radical change which under MMP is not possible with the normal trends of votes.

But what amazed me the most was the fact that Labour and the Department of Labour and the Unions are all in this together and both sides being left and right have agreed already to the implementation of having 50% of women in all political positions. This has been why the Human Right's Commission has been asking for women to vote for women in National elections and local elections.

One of the questions I asked was whether they would be implementing 50% females and 50% males once they achieve 50% females?

The answer I got back was that only Sweden had implemented a quota for gender being 40% male and 40% female and the last 20% can be either. NZ or other similar countries will not be implementing this and both left and right agree.

Hmm, interesting. But why?

Because both the leader of our HRC and this lady (also HRC) had previously worked for the Union. I wonder whether others remember how much power the Unions have had in past decades with the Labour Party and how the feminists would have infiltrated the Unions. Then again I wonder whether people remember when the Judges were behind the Labour Party.

So I asked what would happen if we ended up with something like 70% or more of females in these positions. Would we then be looking at a quota for males? This the answer I got back.

No. We are happy to have as many women as possible in these positions and the fact is that when men had 100% of the power no-one complained. So no-one will be complaining about women having the majority positions. Fair is fair.

That just made my head spin. I can just see women promoting women and I can see the pressure to not do so.

Of course I put a few of my views forward about male issues. I did agree by saying sure (not necessarily agreeing but it is subtly positive and loosens the argument) with what she said but used my normal response that our men alive today are not responsible for what they are grieving over. And that our youth are confused as to why things are unfair. And that they don't understand why they are being targeted. Also spoke of woman assaults man and how our young women are violent towards the males giving situations that were on the news and of single fathers in our group. I also said that we as a group would like to see a law against this and that only men get arrested even though they have their nose broken and blood coming from their ears.

Then I spoke of our grievance that we can't get support for males because there is no funding available for men's groups.

She spoke of how men's groups are anti feminist and I spoke of how we can get anything for women but nothing for men. And that Waitakere (our city is concerned about this).

She took all this on board and will be thinking about it. I didn't give her much of a chance to say more but thanked her for her time and hung the phone up.

Also of note is that they are concerned with the 1% male child care workers.

Attracting more men into early childhood teaching
All the men we spoke to for this feature had come into the job because they knew someone in the profession. David Baxendell believes one of the reason numbers are so low is that there is no visible face of men teaching young children. "The more men there are, the more visible this will be as a career option," he says. He also believes that the fact that more men are coming in to the early childhood centres and are taking an interest in their children's education seriously will help boost numbers. "They take us seriously and see us more as professionals and it's very important that we are seen as professionals."

He hopes the recently formed EC-MENZ organisation will help raise the visibility of men in New Zealand early childhood education. The group already has a website http://www.ecmenz.org and will hold its second Men in Early Childhood Care and Teaching Summit at Whitireia Polytechnic in Porirua next February.

But the men we interviewed don't expect to see gender balance in childhood education any time soon. Duncan Fisher believes there will be no significant rise in the percentage of men in the sector for several generations. While more men are now taking a bigger role in childbearing he believes it will be the children of their children who may finally see early childhood teaching as an acceptable occupation for a man.

Anyhow this is the site where you can find lots of information on wage gap and gender pay issues.

http://www.neon.org.nz/

It is not expected that the state will grow to provide this since most things the Government once owned and had run such as hospitals and prisons is now being owned and run by the private sector. The public sector will increse the wages to lessen the gender gap but the private sector will have to increase their wages to compete with the public sector.

**MAUS** · 4th-December-2007

Julie, Other than to chronicly whine about it what is the solution?

Are the people who are on that rantchant advocating that all of the world's goodies be divided like cake at a birthday party? Then let's see them put all their valuables on the table for equal division.

**Percy** · 4th-December-2007

Well done in part one Julie. You used your role to gain access and get someone to speak. But to what end? You were fortunate that she gave you so much, probably because you are a woman and therefore were mispercieved as being 'onside'.

This give -away was particularly interesting :

So I asked what would happen if we ended up with something like 70% or more of females in these positions. Would we then be looking at a quota for males? This the answer I got back.

No. We are happy to have as many women as possible in these positions and the fact is that when men had 100% of the power no-one complained. So no-one will be complaining about women having the majority positions. Fair is fair.

But it was a gift.

What else could she have let slip. What other hypocricies could she have blurted out with a bit of subtle encouragement?

I get back to warcraft. You could have got a great deal more and sucked her into many more give-aways. You were on an information seeking exercise. Or what? A 'telling her as it is' excursion? Planning is important. Preparation is important. You don't tell us what questions you had ready (and don't tell us now that you had this one or that one. We have spoken about that before, about giving only a bit of the info).

Planning would include what you intend to do with information gained. What do you have in mind? A free-lance newspaper article perhaps? Posters with her quotes on? What?

And what happened at the end?

I didn't give her much of a chance to say more but thanked her for her time and hung the phone up.

Why?

This may sound nit-picking, especially as many MRAs take opportunities to do things on the fly without any idea what comes next. But .....

Then there is the Political background. How sound is your information? Is it just impression or is there evidence somewhere?

But what amazed me the most was the fact that Labour and the Department of Labour and the Unions are all in this together and both sides being left and right have agreed already to the implementation of having 50% of women in all political positions

I can understand the Party and its Department and the Unions but people on the right? Really? Has this been reported anywhere? Statements? Or did you mean something different by this.

Sometimes its a bit difficult to understand what you are saying.

Then there is the Childcare worker chaps issue. Is this the same issue or a different one? Is it an equal pay issue or a misandry issue? Is it money or sexual discrimination? I know it could be both but what is your focus when putting them here?

Gee, Julie. Of all the people on this board, you must be in the top 10 for activism. You are a great example of someone who pushes and does things, but with what plan in mind?

Julie, I may be out of line here, so please don't take this as a criticism. But.... have you thought about getting a mentor? Someone who could help you plan and do things? Someone you can run ideas past before you jump into things. What you need, it seems to me, is someone like Ray Blomhorst to talk to and take advice from.

Overall though, more power to your elbow. You are at least DOING something, and I applaude. I would whistle and shout were it better.

**tehpwn** · 4th-December-2007

julie is a feminist whore, kill her.

**Percy** · 4th-December-2007

tehpwn, that is a wicked thing to say.

I for one repudiate you.

Either contribute reasoned critique or fuck off.

**tehpwn** · 4th-December-2007

you shove it straight back up your ass percy, you fucking mangina!!!!!

**bachelor tom** · 4th-December-2007

Quote from tehpwn

you shove it straight back up your ass percy, you fucking mangina!!!!!

is this a joke? did you lose your meds?

**julie** · 4th-December-2007

Percy,

Regarding you comment (the 2nd comment)

You are not at all out of line. I appreciate feedback because I do want to learn and pass information on and speak up but I want to make sure I have the facts. Else I look like an idiot and will not be taken seriously. Gathering information on the web is not always accurate information. News articles are not always accurate information. Best to start getting it from the source I am thinking. This was my first attempt at this and I will get better. I was gathering information.

I hadn't had much planned for the information I received as I hadn't expected so much. I do need to plan better preperation.

Quote:
But what amazed me the most was the fact that Labour and the Department of Labour and the Unions are all in this together and both sides being left and right have agreed already to the implementation of having 50% of women in all political positions

I can understand the Party and its Department and the Unions but people on the right? Really? Has this been reported anywhere? Statements? Or did you mean something different by this.

She is the the head of the steering group and she told me that neither right nor left is interested in quotas like they have in Sweden being 40% male and 40% female. That means that they have both already made decisions on this. I guess it is most likely both parties have members in the task team. Mind you they have made a 5 year plan at this stage.

Then there is the Childcare worker chaps issue. Is this the same issue or a different one? Is it an equal pay issue or a misandry issue? Is it money or sexual discrimination? I know it could be both but what is your focus when putting them here?

I asked whether they would also be looking at 50% of males in female dominated professions to lessen the gap as we know it partly exists (and so do they) because of different job choices for different genders and they are looking at more women in engineering and mechanics and so forth. I had hoped they may have been looking at 50% male school teachers or at least a major increase but NO.

Childcare workers is one they are working on where they would like to see more males as very few (1%) exist. I am not 100% sure why that is being seen as part of the gender wage gap.

PS. I don't think it is a good idea to make an example of me. I am not worried about tehpwn and his or her comments but I do think you need to look at some of the personal sites of the MRA guys. They too are making major progress. Maybe you could introduce yourself to a few of them.

There is one fantastic guy in NZ who does way more work than I do.

http://dad4justice.blogspot.com/

I hope you check him out.