Women's work still out of kilter says Dyson

Women face the stress of trying to balance work and unpaid labour, says the Minister of Women's Affairs.

In a speech marking Suffrage Day, Ruth Dyson said society had yet to get the balance right between the amount of paid and unpaid work women did.

"This is not just an issue for women. Overall, a decade of a deregulated and competitive environment has reduced the quality of life for many workers of both sexes.

"A lot of men have more stress in their life than is healthy. But women have paid the greatest price because of the additional level of stress that accompanies our role as carers."

Women had worked hard to participate in the labour market but she was still disappointed in some of the outcomes of the struggle for equality.

"What we haven't done yet is get right the balance between paid and unpaid work."

Women make up 47 per cent of the workforce and 43 per cent of the self-employed.

"Yet society still expects us to have children, care for whanau and families and do much of the unpaid work in our communities."

Her speech to a breakfast marking the 109th anniversary of women getting the vote in New Zealand echoed many of the themes expressed by women in a major series of articles by the Herald exploring the place of women in New Zealand now.

Ms Dyson said Maori and Pacific women faced particular stress because of their broader family responsibilities and over-representation in low-paid jobs and community work.

"There is a lot of talk about the need for a work/life balance. It's a debate that hasn't been properly had yet."

The Council of Trade Unions is researching the impact of work hours on workers and their families in the Thirty Families Project.

It has launched a Get a Life campaign on the need for balance.

Said Ms Dyson: "Women have fought hard for the right to do anything.

"Now we must fight for the right not to have do everything - at least, not all at the same time."