Mind The Gap

It’s high time women were paid on a par with men, so we’ve asked some high-profile Kiwis to start the conversation around closing the gap. Here are their thoughts

Antonia Prebble

Actress

As far as I know I haven’t been affected by pay inequality personally, but I know of other New Zealand actresses who have been, so we are not free of the problem here.

We pride ourselves on being a country that is fair and just. The gender pay gap is neither fair nor just, so I think Kiwis would definitely support remedying this issue so that it is more aligned with New Zealand’s values.

This is not a new problem. Ever since women joined the workforce we’ve known they get paid less than men, but I feel now we’re looking at that issue through a new lens, with renewed vigour. We need to harness this momentum and use it to ensure that real, permanent change takes place. We need to continue to talk about it to keep the issue in the forefront of our minds, and organisations must look at their internal structures and remedy any pay inequality.

There are many dimensions to the long-term effects of the pay gap, but I think one of the most insidious is the impact it has on how we value women in general and, therefore how women value themselves. If our pay cheque says we are not as good, not as worthy, not as valuable as a man, then that trickles down into how we view our worth in a general sense. That in turn leads to lowered self-esteem and the all-too-familiar imposter syndrome.

Hilary Barry

Co-host Seven Sharp

Like many other women, there have been times in my career when I was afforded fewer opportunities because I was a woman. It took courage but in the end I did something about it and told my boss it wasn’t fair. It’s hard to stand up for yourself and I think, as women, it’s something we need to be less afraid of and learn to do better and more effectively.