Women - negotiate what you want and get it in 2010

Gill South

I'm hoping that women negotiate what they want in the workplace and get it this year.

I hate to be a party pooper, but although the recent figures showing an increasing number of women graduates are coming out of university is heartening -women took two thirds of graduate degrees in 2008 - women are by no means operating on a level playing field with men yet and few are heading companies yet despite their excellent qualifications and abilities.

Little progress is being made in pay yet either. According to the Ministry of Women's Affairs, women are still earning less than their male equivalents after just one year and within five years the average income gap has increased to 17 per cent.

The pay inequity situation is important for many reasons but the fact that the male partner is earning more, often means that it is the woman who takes the time off with the children.

And of course many women want to do that. But their career immediately goes into limbo and their employers, even if they go back to work later, can perceive them in a different light when they return. Their desire for flexibility can be misinterpreted as a lack of seriousness about their career. The work environment can still be perceived as unfriendly to new mothers.

When I was interviewing university academic, Jennifer Lees-Marshment about motherhood in my book, Because We're Worth It, a "where to from here?" for today's working mother, she said she was one of the few women in her ante-natal group to be going back to work after her maternity leave.

Many of these professional women simply couldn't visualise how they could continue to do their jobs unless they were putting in the usual 70 hour weeks.

There is no doubt that working mothers have been casualties in the recession, even if they are extremely efficient and experienced.

One part time working mother was told her services were no longer required after more than ten years with the company, only to be told a couple of weeks later that the decision had been rescinded because they needed her skills in 2010 after all - an industry ruling called for her experience.

As she puts it, she worked two days a week, she wasn't perceived as a core member of the staff. But she is. They need her institutional knowledge but it took them a while to figure out.

There is hope on the horizon for everyone wanting a more flexible work environment. Babyboomers will be exiting the workforce in their droves in the next two decades - the first babyboomer hits 65 in 2011.

This is going to mean a giant headache for New Zealand employers but for women with good experience and qualifications, this will mean they should be able to negotiate the work arrangement they want.

Start testing the boundaries this year and don't sacrifice your pay.

www.gillsouth.com