New Zealand Government aims for equality of OUTCOMES

From a news release:at http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ViewDocument.cfm?DocumentID=18648

Hon Ruth Dyson
16 December 2003
 

Minister welcomes new head of Women's Affairs

“Ms Gleisner is well-placed to build the ministry’s capability, improve its reputation and credibility, and work closely with other departments to support and encourage their active participation in policy programmes impacting on women. This is crucial if New Zealand is to achieve equality of outcomes for women.”

And in another news release at http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ViewDocument.cfm?DocumentID=17544

Hon Trevor Mallard
12 August 2003
 

Ministry of Women’s Affairs to be strengthened

“Collaborative working relationships between the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and other government departments are crucial if New Zealand is to achieve equality of outcomes for women,” the ministers said.

[“Ministers” = Trevor Mallard and Ruth Dyson]

The same release is repeated under Ruth Dyson’s name at: http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ViewDocument.cfm?DocumentID=17545

There are many possible measures of equality from which to choose if the aim is to be "fair". Equality of outcome is perhaps the most extreme. Others include:

Outcomes can vary for reasons far removed from fairness - there can be differences in preferences, abilities, or available choices, for example. Moreover, there is a wide range of possible outcome measures from which to choose - income, wealth, life expectancy, educational achievement, pay levels for the same job, pay levels for "equivalent" jobs, years in the workforce, hours of paid work, workplace injury and death rates, award of custody of children...

The above quotes are by New Zealand Labour MPs.

The Australian Labour Party, currently in opposition, has recently responded to an attempt by Catholic schools to increase the number of male teachers.

The Sun-Herald reported on 22 February 2004 that the Catholic Education Office has a court appeal scheduled for April to allow male-only teacher scholarships.

A report in the Weekend Australian of 23 February 2004 refers to an April court case by the Catholic church, describing it as an attempt to mandate special positions for male teachers.

It is not clear if these are the same case. Regardless, of interest is the ALP's response to the church's initiative. As stated in the Australian, Labour community relations spokesman Lindsay Tanner argued against the approach on the grounds that:

  1. it is "a very simplistic response to a very complex problem"
  2. "The issues are broader than that"
  3. There is an issue, "but somehow mandating that you have specific positions for male teachers - I don't think is the answer" 
  4. "female role models could also help boys"
  5. "The risk, of course, if you narrow the talent pool for particular positions, you will end up with a teacher who's not necessarily as good as you might have got."

Presumably these political positions/arguments in the two countries are not selected with the aim of favouring a particular group, or of applying different criteria according to the group being considered. On the other hand, perhaps they are.

The New Zealand National Party has recently asserted that policies should be based on need, rather than group identity.

Following poll results in recent days (i.e. mid- to late- February 2004), the New Zealand Labour Party has been surprisingly quick to shift its ground and adopt the same view as National.

Stuart Birks

18 February 2004

Updated 24 February 2004

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