Women in the workplace are earning less than men, and columnist Annemarie Quill says it's time New Zealand leveled the playing field. Photo/Getty
"'Sometimes it's hard to be a woman ... you'll have bad times, and he'll have good times."
"What did Tammy Wynette know?
"In 2017 one might argue in New Zealand that women have it pretty good.
"Why did we need to celebrate International Women's Day this week?
"Looking at life through the lens of young girls - you can appreciate how far we have come in a relatively short period of time. Watching, for instance, the movie Suffragette about British women campaigning for an equal right to vote, my girls were incredulous that women did not have voting powers not that long ago.
"It is unbelievable when you look at the credits at the end of the movie and see across the world how late some countries gave women the vote, even Switzerland. And as for Saudi Arabia, still waiting. But then women are not even allowed to drive there.
"Then we watched the Netflix serialisation of the OJ Simpson trial. It seemed laughable when the judge commented on the chief prosecutor's skirt length, and always addressed her by her first name when he referred to the male lawyers as Mr. Yet that happened.
"So women have come a long way. Or have they?
"In New Zealand, by the letter of the law, we have equality. We can vote like men, apply for the same jobs as men. There are legal requirements for parental leave and workplace flexibility, and subsidies for some for childcare, which, in theory at least, allow women to work and raise families.
"So what are we still moaning about?
"Our shocking domestic and sexual violence statistics perhaps that reveal how some men are controlling women?
"Or the $600,000 that we are missing out on? A Human Rights Commission project, published to mark International Women's Day, found women earn $600,000 less on average in a lifetime than their male counterparts.
Men can say all they like that there is equality, but any woman knows that subtle sexism - sometimes even unconsciously - seeps through the workplace.
"Women in New Zealand can expect to be paid 12 per cent less on average than a man.
"For mothers, the pay gap is worse, with fathers being paid 17 per cent more than mothers according to a recent government report, "Effect of Motherhood on Pay".
"While some of this can be attributed to factors such as differences in education, different occupations, and more women working part-time, a whopping 80 per cent of that was calculated to be down to bias and perceptions of women in the workplace.
"Men can say all they like that there is equality, but any woman knows that subtle sexism - sometimes even unconsciously - seeps through the workplace.
"While there are laws against overt sexism, the boys' club culture remains in management positions, men like working with men.
"It is easier, they "get" each other, they praise each other - and, well, sometimes we women, with our kids and our complicated lives find ourselves with mostly male leaders.
"There are few women in board and leadership positions - and with a gender pay gap that has not budged for a decade.
"It is a bias we suffer every day, even when it is unconscious, like this week when my daughter's male teacher asked for a volunteer to shift a table. Her friend put up a hand.
"But he wanted boys. So my daughter said she would help her girlfriend. It was heavy, she said, but they did it. Go, girls.
"But I felt if I was honest I should tell them to get used to it - be prepared to have to shift heavy weights for the rest of their lives just to prove themselves.
"Let's hope those weights continue to get more even.
"Later this year, following the test case of a female rest-home worker Kristine Bartlett, a bill is expected to be passed allowing women to take equal pay disputes directly to their employer rather than battle through courts.
"Of course, as we have shown above, the employers are headed up by mainly men, so how are they going to embrace this?
"Surely men want better for their daughters - as Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller said on Facebook: "There is a lot of debate about feminism and its role in today's age, but for me it's simple.
"Until I can look my daughters in the eye and assure them that they will be paid fairly in line with their male counterparts, I will continue to be a determined feminist on this issue."
"Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett this week challenged employers to conduct gender audits of employees' pay and publish the results. This would be a good move towards levelling out the playing field.
"It is unacceptable and an abuse of human rights that women are paid less than men.
"I hope employers heed Bennett's words: "It's not about what you can get away with; it's not about what she is willing to accept; it's simply about you paying her what she is worth."