The pay gap between what men and women earn is the worst it has been in almost a decade.
Last year, the median wage for men was almost $15,000 more than it was for women. For every dollar a working-age man made, women - who make up 51% of the population - made just under 86 cents.
That figure rose to 89.4c in 2014, but dropped back in 2015.
Those fighting for pay equity, including a woman whose hourly rate has risen by just $5.26 in 20 years, say for it to be achieved there need to be changes all the way from Government policy to organisations' procedures.
There are two fronts on which the battle is being fought: the same pay for the same job and equal pay for jobs which are equal in skill, responsibility and stress.
Research from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment shows graduates entering the workforce were paid similar salaries.
But pay equity campaigner and top accountant Kirsten Patterson said the pay gap increased because women were overlooked for top-paying roles, were expected to be the ones to take time out of their careers to care for children, were less likely to negotiate their pay level with employers and were discriminated against, despite legislation.
The industry where the difference is the largest is finance, where women earn 30.2% less than men, according to figures from Statistics New Zealand analysed by The New Zealand Herald.
The profession where there was the least discrepancy was among labourers, where male labourers earned only $2.82 more an hour than women labourers.
Mrs Patterson said while women taking time out of their careers to have children was a factor in the pay gap, it did not fully explain the divide.
‘‘The would be fine if the research was showing you that the gap occurs during parental leave absence - but it doesn't. The gap is starting before parental leave.
‘‘There is something happening in that early cohort and then the impact of those gaps over the years becomes too big for organisations to breach.''Another possible explanation of the pay gap is because almost half the women workers in New Zealand are in occupations that have more than 80% female workers.
Across all sectors for those aged between 25 and 64 years old, for each dollar a man earned, women earned 85.7c - $14,892.80 per year less.
The Government has established a working group to develop a set of principles to deal with claims under the Equal Pay Act 1972, following a landmark case where an aged care worker successfully sued her employer because she believed she was underpaid because she worked in a female-dominated sector.
The woman at the centre of the three-year legal battle, Kristine Bartlett said: ‘‘It's going to give all women a value. Women have been undervalued for too long. It's going to be a life changer in the low-paid workforce, it will give them a bit of dignity and respect to be able to live a decent life.''
- By Amelia Wade of the New Zealand Herald
