Gender at Work, a social enterprise run by the YWCA, has partnered with Cogo on the research report Workplace Insights from Young Women and Non-binary People in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The research draws on the experiences of more than 600 women and non-binary respondents aged between 20 and 30 years old, and shines a light on the need for organisations to prioritise inclusive, transparent work practices.
The key findings reveal that over a third of young women and non-binary people have experienced bullying, harassment or discrimination in their current workplace. This figure does not account for bullying or discrimination that may have occurred in prior roles. Only 42% of respondents who have experienced this have reported it.
More than half of the respondents reported that women in the workplace were more likely to “perform tasks such as organising catering and social events regardless of their role or seniority” at least sometimes. For some workplaces, 16% of young people reported that women were expected to wear cosmetics at least sometimes, and 10% reported that women were expected to wear skirts, dresses or high heels at least sometimes.
“I was told by a senior leadership team member that if I wanted to get ahead in teaching, I’d have to wear makeup and dress nicer” – Respondent to the Cogo Survey, 2024
In addition to gendered expectations in the workplace, respondents reported on evidence of a cultural ‘tax’ on Māori employees and staff from ethnic communities. 40% of all respondents reported that Māori staff are called on to provide cultural services for free in the workplace, and 32% of respondents reported that staff from ethnic communities are called on to volunteer their time to support cultural diversity initiatives.
Young people have further reported that they have felt a need to minimise aspects of their personal identity in the workplace, be it their gender, age, ethnicity, sexuality, or disability or access needs. 27% of all respondents, and 76% of all non-binary respondents, reported having to minimise their gender at least sometimes. Over a third of all respondents reported having to minimise their age and 17% of all respondents reported minimising their ethnicity.
This minimisation of ethnic identity was more prevalent in Māori, Pasifika, and Asian respondents, with 30%, 27% and 30% respectively reporting they had to minimise their ethnicity at least sometimes. 54% of all non-heterosexual respondents reported having to minimise their sexuality at least sometimes, and 51% of the respondents who reported having a disability or access need reported having to minimise their disability at least sometimes in their current workplace.
“It’s common in [my sector] that Māori staff are expected to be teachers of their culture, for no extra pay, and regardless of whether they feel comfortable or not” – Respondent to the Cogo Survey, 2024
When surveyed on their organisations’ commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, respondents were emphatically more likely to remain in a workplace where a formal DEI policy was in place. Only 14% of young people indicated they planned to stay on in organisations with no visible DEI commitments, in comparison to 73% who planned to stay in organisations with dedicated DEI policies and an inclusive culture. Only 46% of respondents indicated their current workplace had a formal DEI policy in place, with 36% of respondents unsure – indicating a lack of genuine, transparent organisation commitment to DEI.
Opportunities for professional development also appear to be poor, with 51% of all respondents reported there were no programmes or initiatives available to support them in their career. A further 28% indicated they were unaware if there were these opportunities or not.
The Cogo research demonstrates a clear need for organisations to step up and genuinely commit to DEI initiatives and supporting young women and non-binary people in the workplace. Workers aged between 20 and 30 will comprise almost 30% of the workforce in Aotearoa New Zealand in 2025. This diverse generation will have a great impact, and their experiences demonstrate there is still much work to be done to support equity for all workers in Aotearoa New Zealand.