Contributed by: Jo Cribb
Source: NZ Herald
If you believe the press release earlier this month, the public service gender pay gap has decreased for the third year in the row. If you look into the fine print, you will see this isn't quite so.
If the public service gender pay gap is measured by averaging all men's and all women's salaries, the gap between the averages has dropped. More women in senior leadership positions boosted the average, potentially hiding the reality of most women public servants.
If you measure the gender pay gap by finding the median, the public service gender pay gap has got bigger.
In my experience working with New Zealand organisations, many do not know if they have a gender pay gap. You can't address a problem you don't know you have. These organisations often believe they're fair to all employees so assume there is no issue. A quick run through their payroll data usually changes that view.
Article contributed by Jo Cribb, previous chief executive of the Ministry for Women and now works with organisations to address diversity issues. To contact Jo, click here: http://www.jocribb.co.nz/
Click here to read the full NZ Herald article: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12231910