Maori Women in NZ - 1996 Census

Women in New Zealand

This report combines the 1996 census information with data from other sources and, where possible, provides comparative information on changes over the previous decade. The book also focuses on specific groups of women, notably Mäori women, whose position is described in some detail.

Women are the majority sex

Women outlive men
As a group women are growing older
Most women live in large urban centres
Ethnic diversity of women is growing
Women are marrying later
De facto relationships are becoming more common
Delayed childbearing and fewer children
Two-parent family still predominates
One-parent families on the increase
Women's labour force participation grows
Paid employment lower for women with young children
Employment levels lower for Maori than non-Maori women
Many women work part-time
Women's employment concentrated in service industries
Unemployment higher for women than men
Women's self-rated health worse than men's
Health status of Maori women lower
Cancer - leading cause of death among females
More women than men have disabilities
Women are continuing their education to higher levels
Maori women have lower retention rates than non-Maori
Traditional gender differences in subject choice remain
Women are leaving school more educated than men
Women are better qualified than in the past
Women's incomes lower than men's
Hours worked a major factor in women's lower incomes
Receipt of income support higher for women than men
Marked ethnic differentials in income
Incomes lowest for women in one-parent families

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This page last modified on: 15 April 2004