NZ lags behind in wage equality

New Zealand lags behind other Asia-Pacific countries in wage equality, according to a survey of salaries across the creative, marketing and digital industries.

Nearly 4500 participants were canvassed by human resource company font, which compared salaries based on company size, years of experience, gender and qualifications, across the advertising, marketing, creative and multimedia sectors.

New Zealand showed the widest pay discrepancy between men and women across company size and years experience, compared to the other three markets surveyed - Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.

As well as receiving larger bonuses, men were found to earn 44 per cent more than women in small businesses, 23 per cent more in medium-sized businesses and 18 per cent more in large corporates.

Only after 16 to 20 years experience did women see pay parity with men.

font managing director and board director of the Trans Tasman Recruitment Consulting Services Association Jacqui Barratt said while this reflected a trend for women to seek careers that offered a better work-life balance around child-bearing age, it was also important for woman to start valuing their contribution and asking for more.