Women now account for 58 per cent of senior roles at Massey University, up from 24 per cent in 2009, according to the latest Pay and Employment Equity Report.
The report, part of a review jointly initiated by the University and the Tertiary Education Union a decade ago, compares data from 2009 with the same data from last year. The aim of the review is to monitor the University’s progress in reducing the gender pay gap overall as well as within specific occupational groups and grades, and improving the representation of women at senior levels of the University.
Women represent 60 per cent of the Massey workforce and the report reveals that, while the overall gender pay gap has reduced relatively marginally – from 21.5 per cent in 2009 to 19.6 per cent in 2018, there has been significant and encouraging progress in key areas as a result of Massey addressing the factors contributing to the gap.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor People and Culture Alan Davis says the University’s commitment to reducing the pay gap and improving gender equality is wholehearted and ongoing.
“We are focussed on ensuring that Massey is truly a good place for women to work, and while there are some positive improvements, there still remain significant areas where improvements can and must be made.
”The slower shift in the overall gender pay gap is significantly influenced by the over-representation of women in lower paid grades and is unlikely to materially change without both more women being appointed to higher-paid grades and more men being attracted from outside the sector to the wide variety of general jobs available in the University.
“We still have a lot of work lot of work to be done, both in terms of reducing the overall pay gap and ensuring issues of potential inequity are addressed,” he says.
Massey University is the only University in New Zealand to have conducted a full pay and employment equity review in conjunction with the union.
Union organiser Heather Warren says: “Massey’s willingness to engage with the union and to work together to address pay equity is positive for the tertiary sector. It is great we can spend time improving the working lives of Massey employees.”
Other key findings include:
- The proportion of women in senior academic and research leadership positions has increased from 23 per cent in 2009 to 43 per cent in 2018, and the pay gap in those positions reduced from 20 per cent to 8 per cent
- More women than men were promoted to associate professor last year, which sets up a strong pipeline effect for more women to move to professor; there is no pay gap between men and women at associate professor level
- Women in professorial roles increased from 16 per cent to 25 per cent from 2009 to 2018
- For general staff, 20 per cent of women are in the top general pay grades, up from 13 per cent; and the pay gap has reduced from 17.2 per cent to 11 per cent
Massey University, the Tertiary Education Union, and Women@Massey hosted a morning tea today to celebrate International Women’s Day and launch the updated report on pay and employment equity at the University.