Let's hear it for the women: Pay equality and sport

Black Fern Sarah Hirini scores a try against Wales at Northland Events Centre on October 29, 2022, in Whangarei. Photo / Getty Images

What a delight it has been to see the Women's Rugby World Cup receiving the recognition it so rightfully deserves. Whether you are a Black Ferns supporter or not, there can be no doubting that the women's game is in fine fettle, with open running rugby and an array of talent on offer across the international teams. I've had some interesting conversations with a variety of Kiwi blokes over the last couple of weeks, and all of them have admitted that they have been enjoying our national women's team's games more than the All Blacks' games this season.

It was such an oversight to see New Zealand Rugby creating a scheduling clash with the timing of international fixtures last Saturday which saw the All Blacks' game against Japan playing live at the same time as the quarter-final game between the Black Ferns and Wales. However, it didn't diminish the home support for the women's World Cup encounter, with a colourful crowd in the house at the Northland Events Centre in Whangārei. Let's hope the momentum is maintained long after the championship is over, and that women's rugby continues to get the primetime recognition that it deserves.

On the theme of recognition - October 10, 2022, marked 50 years since the Equal Pay Act 1972 was passed, a law instrumental in ensuring the legal right to equal pay for equal work in Aotearoa New Zealand. According to Minister for Women Jan Tinetti: "We are committed to closing the gender and ethnic pay gap [...] To us, being paid fairly is a fundamental human right. Everyone should be paid fairly and have the same opportunities to achieve their career aspirations. While the global fight for equality in the workforce is ongoing, the Equal Pay Act continues to move us towards achieving equal pay and pay equity in Aotearoa New Zealand."

Let's take a look at what this means in real terms. The gender pay gap — how much less women are paid than men nationally — is 9.2 per cent, according to Manatū Wāhine, the Ministry for Women. When we consider the intersection of gender and ethnicity, this generates even more substantial pay gaps, disproportionately affecting Māori, Pacific, Asian and ethnic minority communities. The gaps are further compounded when applied to people with disabilities. Data released by Statistics NZ shows that the average hourly wage earned by Māori employees was 82 per cent of the average hourly Pākehā wage, while the average wage earned by Pasifika employees was 77 per cent of the average Pākehā wage.

In short, the gap between the average hourly earnings of a Pākehā male worker and a Pasifika female worker is 27 per cent. What this means, in real earning terms, is that in effect from October 1, Pasifika women began working for free for the rest of 2022.

The gender pay gap is the equivalent of nearly $8 billion according to Jo Cribb, former chief executive of the Ministry for Women and the mastermind behind the "Mind the Gap" campaign, which is calling for legislation that requires all medium-to-large organisations to publicly report their gender and ethnic pay gaps. Time will tell if this campaign makes it over the line.

Let's hope that the Black Ferns can also make it over the line in their upcoming Women's Rugby World Cup semi-final against France. Goodness knows they've fought long and hard for fair pay recognition, too. A major contract breakthrough this year now means the majority of the Black Ferns' squad are on retainers of between $35,000 - $70,000 a year, with some contracted players earning up to $130,000 per year. And, while this isn't anywhere near being on par with the professional men's game earnings, the Black Ferns are already on top of the world when it comes to their pay packets in the women's game.