Gender pay gap closer

Wangnaui City PHOTO/FILE

The gender gap for pay is closer in Wanganui than nationwide - though both men and women in the region are well down on the median national wages.

Women in Wanganui and Manawatu had a median weekly income of $412 in 2014, 45 per cent less than the men's $652.

However, nationally the difference between the genders is 49 per cent, with women at $464 and men $767.

Whanganui Chamber of Commerce president Raewyn Overton-Stuart believed the city's shortage of top salaries had brought the medians down.

"In general, higher paid jobs have been drawn away from the region," she said. "That's certainly a need for us to attract those kind of businesses and, therefore, jobs.

"The work being done to position Wanganui as a digital leader will hopefully create new business, which will have some higher salaries and wages."

The gap was probably affected by the higher portion of women who were homemakers or worked part-time, Ms Overton-Stuart said.

Union organiser Shanna Reeder of Unite said a variety of factors still fuelled the gender-related wage gap.

"People can get a little confused because if they're given a union collective contract that says they will earn a certain amount after doing a particular job for so many years, they think it means they will have equal pay," she said.

"Then they've got other problems that can keep their pay down, including the fact women don't get promoted as often as men."

Ms Reeder said women usually would not put their hands up for higher paying roles as often as men, and often took time off work for maternity leave.