Kiwis will join with global compatriots to mark International Women's Day on March 8, which celebrates the social, economic and political achievements of women. And yet at a time when girls can literally do anything, Year 11 girls still list hairdressing and air hosting in their career top ten.
Last year a group of researchers sought to find the most popular career choice of 15 and 16 year old New Zealand girls. The surprise answer, despite decades of effort to advance the cause of gender equality, is hairdressing.
It's not exactly shattering news to the AUT University Gender and Diversity Research Group (G&DRG), says co-ordinator and Professor of Organisation Studies Judith Pringle, but it does indicate they have plenty of work still to do.
"When I talk about this people just fall about and go this is unbelievable," says Professor Pringle.
The finding came from a survey carried out by G&DRG researchers supported by the Ministry of Women's Affairs. In 1979, 1995 and 2010, Year 11 boys and girls in the same group of schools were asked to rank 60 male- and 60 female-dominated occupations.
"What we observed was a huge change between 1979 and 1995, with girls shifting from female-dominated occupations to male-dominated occupations, but not across the board," Professor Pringle says.
Girls' interest in the professions had lifted, but the traditional male domains of motor mechanic and butcher, for instance, remained unappealing. "Between 1995 and 2010 there were few changes."
Hairdresser was the most popular choice and, as it had been since the first survey, air hostess was among girls' top four choices. What interests Professor Pringle is the influences that have made such occupations so attractive to the 15- and 16-year-olds surveyed.
"It's their beliefs, but how do they form those beliefs? What influences are important to them, what are the schools doing around career advice - we're looking at all those things."
Sex roles in the workplace are just one preoccupation of the group, which was established in 2007 to create a network of researchers in the areas of gender, diversity and inequality.
"What we try to do is create a community for gender and diversity scholars and postgraduate students," says Professor Pringle, "to support and encourage them and disseminate information."
A major focus of the research group was staging the fourth international Equality, Diversity and Inclusion conference held over two days in February 2011. Past conferences have been staged in England, Turkey and Austria.
Appropriately, given New Zealand's geographic location, the theme of the Auckland conference was "views from the edge".
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Year 11 girls prefer hairdressing, air hostessing
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