Research Outputs

Working papers, articles and reports

Trends in Occupational Segregation Between Women and Men in New Zealand  

This paper explores changes in occupational segregation in New Zealand using Census data from 1976 to 2023. It finds occupational segregation by gender in NZ has declined steadily since the mid-1970s, indicating a gradual convergence in the types of jobs held by men and women. This was driven mostly by changes in gender composition within occupations (more women entering previously male-dominated occupations) than changes in the occupational mix (for example, contraction of manufacturing and clerical work). The paper discusses the implications of these findings for pay equity in New Zealand.

Workforce Diversity and Firm Productivity in New Zealand

In many countries, the workforce is becoming more diverse. Migration, shifting population composition and changing gender norms have altered who is in the workforce and how workplaces are organised. New Zealand is a clear example. It has a high share of foreign-born workers, an ethnically diverse population, a high female labour force participation rate, and comparatively flexible labour market institutions. These features raise an important question: does workforce diversity support firm performance? We draw on linked employer–employee microdata to estimate firm-level productivity and examine its relationship with gender and ethnic diversity. We find both ethnic and gender diversity are positively related to firm productivity. The magnitudes are economically meaningful and sit toward the upper end of those reported in the international literature.

Economic outcomes of gender diverse people: New evidence from linked administrative data in New Zealand. Economics Letters.
Christopher S Carpenter, Linda Kirkpatrick, Maxine J Lee, Alexander Plum

Using machine learning to explore the efficacy of administrative variables in prediction of subjective-wellbeing outcomes in New Zealand. Scientific Reports.
Anatha Narayan, Tom Stewart, Scott Duncan, Gail Pacheco

Women in Media Dataset. Women in Media.
Leonora Risse

Presentations

Women in Leadership Conference, UN Women Australia
Creating inclusive opportunities for women’s economic empowerment. Leonora Risse, 26 November 2024

Business and Professional Women New Zealand
Are women’s rights in the workplace declining? Upholding WEP’s while countering pushback on DEI principles. Gail Pacheco, 4 May 2025

Ministry for the Environment Women's Network
The brown glass ceiling. Betty Ofe-Grant, 9 April 2025

Annual Conference 2025, New Zealand Association of Economists
Segregated work: Who does what work now. Gail Pacheco, 25 June 2025
Occupational segregation by gender in New Zealand: A long run perspective. Gail Pacheco, 25 June 2025

Working to End Racial Oppression, Waikato University
Ethnic pay gaps: An industry level portrait for New Zealand. Leon Iusitini, Gail Pacheco, 12 Feb 2025.

Women in Leadership Summit, UN Women New Zealand
In Conversation Keynote. Gail Pacheco, 17 Jun 2025.

Academy of International Business
International Business Research as a Whetstone for Advancing Social Justice through Critical Reflexivity Scholarship. Betty Ofe-Grant, Ella Henry, 18 March 2025.

Women of Colour in the Public Sector Network and Te Aka Wāhine of Tāmaki
The concrete ceiling – challenges, opportunities, and the case for change. Betty Ofe Grant, 28 Nov 2024

Global Women
Economic realities: Economic cycles, impacts on women and inequality. Gail Pacheco, 15 May 2025.

Centre for Decent Work and Industry, QUT
Navigating the path to gender equality in the workforce: What does the evidence say? Leonora Risse, 28 April 2025