Volume 11 – Issue 1 – February 2015 Unfinished business: gender and inequality Is Active Intervention Still Needed to Improve the A New Zealand Perspective on Thomas Position of Women in the New Zealand Labour Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-first Century Market? If so, what can be done? Geoff Bertram 39 Prue Hyman 3 Distribution of Pre-Tax Top Personal Incomes Engendering Diversity: women’s employment Brian Easton 47 in the public service Top After-Tax Incomes Sally Washington, Martin Peak and Brian Easton 52 Katherine Fahey 11 Who Cares About Income Inequality? Sole Parents in Poverty: it’s time to update the Philip S. Morrison policy paradigm 56 Máire Dwyer 19 Wages and Inequality Bill Rosenberg Becoming Better Helpers: rethinking language 63 to move beyond simplistic responses to women Wealth Inequality among New Zealand’s experiencing intimate partner violence Generation X Denise Wilson, Rachel Smith, Julia Tolmie Simon Chapple, Sean Hogan, Barry Milne, and Irene de Haan 25 Richie Poulton and Sandhya Ramrakha 73 Between Survival and Relevance: remaking A Response to Mark Unsworth: Cui Bono? 30 years of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs Murray Petrie, Liz Brown and Rachel Simon-Kumar 32 Suzanne Snively 79 Editorial Note This Policy Quarterly brings together two major, disadvantage and social norms impact on different interconnected, abiding and still unresolved concerns: population groups. Greater attention to achieving gender the inequalities faced by women and the maldistribution equality is needed across the whole of government. This Volume 11 – Issue 1 – February 2015 of wealth. Following the neo-liberal era, both are forcing means strengthening capabilities in gender analysis, Policy Quarterly (PQ) is targeted at readers themselves back to the top of the international policy systems thinking, concerted action on multiple fronts, and in the public sector, including politicians and agenda. This issue canvases aspects of their status, commitment to a more equal future. their staff, public servants and a wide variety of explanation and policy implications in New Zealand. The 30th anniversary of the agency set up to achieve professions, together with others interested in The Ministry of Women’s Affairs (now the Ministry gender equality is a perfect time to design what that public issues. Its length and style are intended for Women) turns 30 this year. What has changed for future might look like. to make the journal accessible to busy readers. New Zealand women over the last three decades? Then- The remaining papers on inequality in New Zealand The journal welcomes contributions of Prime Minister David Lange hoped the Ministry would do are sparked partly by discussion arising out of publication about 4,000 words, written on any topic itself out of a job within twenty years – but there is still of Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-first Century at relating to governance, public policy and management. Articles submitted will be considerable ‘unfinished business’. an IGPS seminar in 2014. reviewed by members of the journal’s Editorial Prue Hyman reviews gender trends in employment Bertram looks at income distribution trends noting Board and/or by selected reviewers, depending and pay rates, and challenges orthodox arguments for they have been imported - along with a neo-liberal policy on the topic. Although issues will not usually accepting the widening differentials in labour market stance - from the global economy, hence relatively limited have single themes, special issues may be incomes. She concludes that increasing inequalities are policy freedom for government. published from time to time on specific or not economically justified, and disadvantage women, Easton looks at the pre-tax personal income shares general themes, perhaps to mark significant Ma-ori, and other ethnic groups and argues for stronger of top income groups in New Zealand from 1936-7 to events. In such cases, and on other occasions, policy intervention. 2012. There is little evidence of a major surge after 1981 contributions may be invited from particular Washington et al. find progress towards gender in inequality of pre-tax market incomes. His following people. equality in the Public Service – traditionally seen as article, however, looks at after-tax incomes and shows Subscriptions: The journal is available in PDF a ‘safe haven’ for women’s employment – is slowing. dramatic increases in after-tax income and shares of format on the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies (IGPS) website: http://igps. Disparities remain in terms of seniority, occupational total after-tax income for those on top incomes. These victoria.ac.nz/publications/publications/list/10. segregation, pay and career progression opportunities. increases were due to policy changes in relative tax rates. Readers who wish to receive it by email should Most sole parent families are headed by women. Morrison asks, ‘Who Cares about Income Inequality?’ register as PQ subscribers [email protected]. Their poverty rates are five times those of two parent Data from World Values surveys show that New This service is free. families. Dwyer’s analysis finds policy settings related Zealanders do care about income distribution and For all subscription and membership to employment, education, childcare and family support redistribution and the role of government but vary widely enquiries please e-mail [email protected] or fail to cater for the time involved in caring for children regarding the acceptability of inequality and redistribution post to Institute for Government and Policy single-handed. policy. Studies, P.O. Box 600, Wellington. Violence remains a part of many women’s lives. The The relative decline in labour share since the 1980s, Electronic Access: The IGPS directs research of Wilson et al. shows the fatal consequences factors such as intensified international financialisation interested individuals to its website: www.igps. of practices for investigating intimate partner violence, and the implications for New Zealand are explored by Bill victoria.ac.nz where details of the Institute’s publications and upcoming events can be which demonstrate limited understanding and Rosenberg. Without countervailing policy measures, the found. competency concerning the gendered nature of violence, owners of capital and strategically-positioned employees Permission: In the interest of promoting debate in our administrative services. or self-employed are winners with most wage and salary and wider dissemination, the IGPS encourages Does this mean that the Ministry for Women has earners, losers. use of all or part of the papers appearing in failed? Simon-Kumar notes that the ministry has Chapple et al. examine wealth inequality within the PQ, where there is no element of commercial no statutory monitoring function or levers to ensure post-baby boom generation wherein there is almost as gain. Appropriate acknowledgement of both gender issues are considered across government. Its much wealth inequality as in the New Zealand population author and source should be made in all cases. influence has been patchy, reflecting factors beyond its overall. The IGPS retains copyright. Please direct control such the interest and seniority of ministers and In the final paper in this issue, Petrie, Brown and requests for permission to reprint articles from contradictory political discourse, in particular neo- Snively challenge the views expressed by Unsworth on the this publication to [email protected]. liberalism. Lobbying Disclosure Bill published in the previous Policy Editors: Máire Dwyer, Sally Washington, Geoff Bertram and Bill Ryan Reducing poverty and inequality are key challenges Quarterly. Editorial Board: Guy Beatson, David Bromell, facing New Zealand. These papers show that gaps The matters discussed in these papers are of Valentina Dinica, Don Gray, Gerald Minnee, in income and assets between women and men and enormous import for New Zealanders now and in the Mike Reid and Andrea Schollmann. between different ethnicities, are influenced by gendered future. Each, separately and together, points to unfinished ISSN: 2324-1098 (Print) norms, as well as policy and practice that reflect them. business. We hope that by bringing them together, this ISSN: 2324-1101 (Online) Women have been told to ‘step up’ and ‘lean in’ in Policy Quarterly contributes to recently revived debate. Volume 11, Issue 1 – February 2015 the workplace, and to ‘step out’ of violent relationships. Copy Editor: Rachel Barrowman Women have indeed taken leaps to improve their Máire Dwyer, Design & Layout: Aleck Yee education and employment prospects. But choice is a Sally Washington, Cover Photography and design: Aleck Yee relative concept and women still carry the bulk of unpaid Geoff Bertram and Production: Alltex Design work responsibilities. Choices are particularly limited for Bill Ryan. Proof Reader: Vic Lipski women parenting on their own, with little market income, Editors or living with violence. Public policies must add value to the lives of New Zealanders and be based on the realities of how Prue Hyman Is Active Intervention Still Needed to Improve the Position women’s educational of Women achievements having surpassed those of men on in the New Zealand many measures, such as the proportion of those gaining Labour Market? If so, a first degree, some argue that equal employment opportunity (EEO) has been what can achieved and discrimination against women no longer be done? exists. However, feminist economists show how Substantial differences