Negotiating the package: the managerial woman′s experience in New Zealand′s deregulated labour market

Abstract

The impact of the deregulation of New Zealand′s labour market on women is seriously under‐researched and to date available scholarship tends to concentrate on collective bargaining with little written about the effects of deregulation on women in management. The Employment Contracts Act 1991 was presented by supporters as offering women more flexibility in negotiating wages and conditions. Employers′ spokeswoman Ann Knowles argues that the legislation empowers women because it allows them to take greater responsibility for their own needs and aspirations. Critics of the Act suggest that the labour flexibility strategies of government and management are contributing to the marginalization of women′s work, and that minority women fare worst. Hammond and Harbridge argue that the assumption that gender neutrality underpins the labour market is a fallacy and Hyman criticizes labour market deregulation on the grounds that it perpetuates existing structures of inequality. Examines the experiences of top women managers in negotiating individual contracts under the Employment Contracts Act. In the case studies these women leaders describe their experiences of negotiating their own rewards and working arrangements. Explores whether female managers on individual contracts believe the Employment Contracts Act 1991 delivers the promise of labour market flexibility.