Modern Apprenticeships
Women have suddenly broken the 10% barrier in representation of Modern Apprenticeships.
They’re at 11.03 per cent with 1,361 in the scheme compared with 10,983 men, according to figures at 30 June 2008.
The change in gender stakes reflects the addition of hairdressing as an occupation now covered by the Modern Apprenticeship scheme rather than women dramatically breaking into traditionally male dominated occupations.
Hairdressing has 266 female modern apprentices and has more women than any other industry classification. It has only 11 men reflecting the gender segregation that persists in the scheme. The big three industries that dominate the Modern Apprentice ship scheme remain overwhelming male. Building and construction has 2,057 Modern Apprentices and only 9 of them are women; motor engineering has 1,681 Modern Apprentices and 52 are women, while engineering has 1,648 with 14 women.
| Male | 10,983 | 88.97% |
| Female | 1,361 | 11.03% |
| Total | 12,344 | 100% |
| Male | Female | Total | |
| European/Pakeha | 8,531 | 879 | 9,410 |
| Maori | 1,556 | 321 | 1,877 |
| Pacific peoples | 352 | 57 | 409 |
| Other | 353 | 44 | 397 |
| Not Stated | 191 | 60 | 251 |
|
Total: |
10,983 | 1361 | 12344 |
The Ministry of Women’s Affairs has examined the career choices of young women in a report called Trading Choices: Young People's career decisions and gender segregation in the trades
Rosie, where are you?
Rosie the riveter where are you? Rosie was the pinup girl of the movement to get women into trades. Then there was “Girls can do anything” and ”Give girls a go!”, the recent campaign by the Human Rights Commission. And while labour and skills shortages meant new thinking by some employers about female Modern Apprentices, the figures show it is time for another major campaign about the need for diversity in trades training.
Rosie the riveter where are you? Rosie was the pinup girl of the movement to get women into trades. Then there was “Girls can do anything” and the recent campaign by the Human Rights Commission.And while labour and skills shortages meant new thinking by some employers about female Modern Apprentices, the figures show it is time for another major campaign about the need for diversity in trades training.
Male
9,797
91%
Female
1,011
9%
Total
10,808
100%
| Male | Female | Total | |
| European/Pakeha | 7,602 | 609 | 8,211 |
| Maori | 1,431 | 256 | 1,687 |
| Pacific peoples | 312 | 64 | 376 |
| Other | 296 | 31 | 327 |
| Not Stated | 156 | 51 | 207 |
|
Total: |
9,797 | 1,011 | 10,808 |
It will be another 90 years before gender equality occurs in the Modern Apprenticeship scheme at the current rate of progress. In March 2006 the total number of women in the scheme was 8.5% and in December 2007, the latest figures available, this had risen to 9.35%, less than one per cent.
Three industries, building and construction (1,618), engineering (1,536) and motor engineering (1,459) dominate the Modern Apprenticeship scheme. Surprisingly, it is building and construction that is dragging the power tool. Only 5 women are Modern Apprentices in this industry compared with 1,613 men. Engineering has 15 women and 1,521 men and motor engineering has recently doubled its number of women to 52 compared to 1,407 men.
The industries with the largest number of women are horticulture (185) agriculture (158) hospitality (149) and the public sector (118). The public sector and tourism are the only sectors where there are more women than men while retail has equal numbers of both sexes as Modern Apprentices.
Maori are well represented in the latest Modern Apprenticeship statistics at 15.61% while Pacific peoples are under-represented at 3.48%.
Female apprentices earned on average 21% less than their male counterparts in a 2007 study of earnings by the United Kingdom’s Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. www.dius.gov.uk/research. Comparable figures are not available in New Zealand.
"Give Girls a Go!" - Female Modern Apprentices in New Zealand
More NEON resources on the Modern Apprenticeship Scheme:
- persuade key stakeholders to develop and implement policy and practices that improve women’s participation in the Modern Apprenticeship Scheme
- promote women as role models within the Modern Apprenticeship Scheme and to support current and potential female Modern Apprentices
- provide a forum for information-sharing about best practice initiatives
- monitor and benchmark increased female participation in the Modern Apprenticeship scheme
The 2003 Human Rights Commission report Modern Apprenticeships: Training for the Boys? can be downloaded here as a PDF or here as a Word document.
Read the September 2005 NEON news article about Modern Apprenticeships: Sex and Race: Spanners in the Works?
New Zealand tradeswomen and firms that employ them are featured in a new review website, My Tradeswoman.