You’ll find information about New Zealand women throughout this website, as many of our statistics are broken down by sex. Use this page to get you started, or try a keyword search (eg women, female).
Access online databases
NZ.Stat and Infoshare enable you to customise data tables according to your needs, to view onscreen or download. For a list of topics that offer data breakdowns by sex, see:
Data by sex – NZ.Stat and Infoshare
Browse information by topic
Note: For many of our reports, articles, and information releases, data by sex is contained in the accompanying Excel tables.
Children and families
Statistics broken down by sex, or specifically about women, on childcare, vulnerable children and families, births, and fertility.
Childcare
Caring for children: Findings from the 2009/10 Time Use Survey (published 2013)
Report analysing the time parents spend with their children, factors that influence this, and the way childcare is shared by parents living with children.
Childcare use and work arrangements in 1998 and 2009 (published 2012)
Comparison of findings from the 1998 and 2009 New Zealand childcare surveys, including data by sex.
New Zealand Childcare Survey 2009 (published 2010)
One-off information release that provides a snapshot of childcare arrangements in New Zealand, including data by sex.
Vulnerable children and families
Vulnerable children and families: Findings from the New Zealand General Social Survey (published 2012)
Using data from the 2010 NZGSS, this report looks at households with vulnerable children, using 11 economic, housing, health, and social indicators related to poor child outcomes. Includes data on households with mothers in the high and medium-risk groups.
Births and fertility
2013 Census district health board tables (published 2014)
Data on the number of children born in each DHB area, broken down by age group of the mothers (2006 and 2013 data).
New Zealand women are having their first child at age 30 (published 2012)
Article that looks at what age women are having their first child.
Measuring fertility (published 2009)
Article describing a range of methods for measuring fertility, and their limitations.
Related pages
Related websites
Civic participation and human rights
Statistics broken down by sex, or specifically about women, on civic participation and human rights. Topics include representation and trust in government, volunteering, discrimination, and sexual orientation.
Representation in government
Female representation in parliament and local government – New Zealand Social Indicator
Proportion of elected members of parliament and local government members who are female.
Trust in government
Trust in government institutions – New Zealand Social Indicator
Proportion of the population, by sex, who trust the public service.
Volunteering
Voluntary work – New Zealand Social Indicator
Proportion of the population aged 15 years and over, by sex, who did voluntary work in the last four weeks.
2013 Census district health board tables (published 2014)
Data on the unpaid activities (including caregiving and volunteering) that people perform, by DHB area, including data by sex (2006 and 2013 data).
Volunteering fact sheet: New Zealand General Social Survey (published 2009)
Findings from the 2008 NZGSS on the voluntary and unpaid work that people perform, and the relationship between social and economic factors. Includes some data by sex.
Discrimination
Perceived group discrimination – New Zealand Social Indicator
Proportion of people who say selected groups, including women, are targets of discrimination.
Perceived personal discrimination – New Zealand Social Indicator
Proportion of people who were treated unfairly or had something nasty done to them because of the group they belong to. Includes data by sex.
Working together: Racial discrimination in New Zealand (published 2012)
Report on whether New Zealanders feel racially discriminated against. Also provides data on respondents who felt discriminated against because of their sex.
Celebrating 120 years of women's suffrage (published 2013)
Infographic representing women's achievements in New Zealand, with some trends in employment, education, and childbearing for 1893, 1953, and 2013.
Sexual orientation
Considering Sexual Orientation as a Potential Official Statistic (published 2008)
This discussion paper evaluates the need for official statistics about the gay, lesbian, and bisexual population. Includes some data broken down by sex.
Related pages
Related websites
Crime and justice
Crime and justice statistics broken down by sex.
Crime (NZ.Stat tables)
Data on crimes committed, including the sex of people apprehended and crime victims, is available from NZ.Stat.
Justice (NZ.Stat tables)
Data on prosecutions, convictions, and sentencing in court and youth court is available from NZ.Stat, including data by sex.
Related pages
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Culture and identity
Statistics broken down by sex, or specifically about women, on culture and identity. Topics include participation in arts and culture, ethnicity, and Māori.
Participation in arts and culture
Participation in arts and cultural activities – New Zealand Social Indicator
Proportion of people aged 15 years and over, by sex, who attended at least one arts event or actively participated in the arts in the previous 12 months.
Ethnicity
2013 Census QuickStats about culture and identity (published 2014)
Census results on ethnicity, place of birth and people born overseas, languages spoken, and religious affiliation. Includes data by sex.
2013 Census district health board tables
Census data on the ethnic composition of each DHB area, by age group and sex (2006 and 2013 data).
Māori
2013 Census QuickStats about Māori (published 2013)
Census results about Māori, on a range of topics. Includes data by sex.
2013 Census iwi profiles (published 2014)
Census results showing the composition of New Zealand's largest iwi and iwi groupings. Includes age and sex data.
Māori language speakers – New Zealand Social Indicator
Percentage of people in the Māori ethnic group, and total population, who can speak te reo Māori. Includes data by sex.
Related pages
Related websites
Education
Statistics broken down by sex, or specifically about women, on education.
Participation in early childhood education – New Zealand Social Indicator
Proportion of students, by sex and ethnic group, who attended early childhood education in the six months before they started school.
18-year-olds with higher qualifications – New Zealand Social Indicator
Percentage of 18-year-olds, by sex and ethnic group, who have completed a National Certificate of Educational Achievement level 2 qualification or above.
Educational attainment of adults aged 25 to 34 years – New Zealand Social Indicator
Proportion of adults aged 25–34 years, by sex and ethnic group, who have completed a level 4 or higher-level qualification.
Youth not in employment, education, or training: September 2011 quarter (published 2011)
Overview of youth aged 15–24 years who are not in employment, education, or training. Includes data by sex, including those who are caregiving, rather than working or studying.
Student loans and allowances: 2005 (published 2007)
Student debt trends on leaving study and 5 years post-study. Also, income earned post-study by students with a student loan or allowance. Includes data by sex.
Related pages
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Employment and unemployment
Statistics broken down by sex, or specifically about women, relating to employment, unemployment, and the labour market.
Young mothers in the New Zealand workforce (published 2015)
Compares key labour market and education outcomes for young mothers (aged 15–24 years) with those of young women without children, and with young men.
It is a follow-up to Mothers in the New Zealand workforce.
Labour Market Statistics
New Zealand's official employment and unemployment statistics, including occupations and industries, hours worked, and wage and salary information. Includes data by sex.
Employment and unemployment (labour market) tables (NZ.Stat tables)
Data on filled jobs, and key labour force measures by qualification, age, and sex.
Linked Employer-Employee Data tables
Data on job and worker flows, mean and median earnings for continuing jobs and new hires, and total earnings, including data by sex. Offers an insight into the labour market using administrative data from the tax system, and business data from Statistics NZ's Business Frame.
National Labour Force Projections
Labour force projections by age and sex, based on different assumptions (fertility, mortality, migration, and participation).
Survey of Working Life
Three-yearly survey on employment conditions, work arrangements, and quality of working life. Includes data by sex.
Women at work: 1991–2013 (published 2015)
Uses census data from the 20 years to 2013 to look at trends in occupational segregation between women and men.
2013 Census district health board tables (published 2014)
Data on the employment and labour force status, industry, and occupation of each DHB population, including data by sex (2006 and 2013 data).
Flexibility and security in employment: Findings from the 2012 Survey of Working Life (published 2014)
Job flexibility, non-standard employment, and job security in the labour market.
Mothers in the New Zealand workforce (published 2015)
Describes how mothers' and non-mothers' engagement with the labour market has changed over the last 20 years, how mother and child characteristics affect the mother’s level of employment, and the type of work mothers are employed in compared with women with no children.
How men and women have fared in the labour market since the 2008 recession (published 2014)
Outline of the trends in labour force participation and the employment rate, which highlights the contrasting labour market performance for men and women from 2007–13.
Disability and the labour market: Findings from the 2013 Disability Survey (published 2014)
Examination of how disabled people are faring in the labour market, including breakdowns by disability status and sex.
Survey of Family, Income, and Employment
Data on topics relating to work, family, household circumstances, income, and net worth. Includes data on women in relation to their majority representation as the parent in sole-parent families.
Related pages
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Health
Statistics broken down by sex, or specifically about women, on a range of health topics.
Alcohol
Potentially hazardous drinking – New Zealand Social Indicator
Proportion of the population aged 15 years and over who drink alcohol and scored highly on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, by sex, age group, and ethnic group.
Disabilities
Disabilities
Information from the New Zealand Disability Survey about types and prevalence of disabilities, and social and economic outcomes. Includes data by sex.
Health expectancy
Health expectancy – New Zealand Progress Indicator
An estimate of the average number of years a person will live without requiring assistance with everyday activities. Includes data by sex.
Life expectancy
Life expectancy - New Zealand Social Indicator
Shows life expectancy, and patterns of mortality and survival at various ages, by sex. Includes period life tables showing mortality by time period, and cohort life tables that track the mortality of people born in each year from 1876.
How long will I live?
Life expectancy by age and sex – use our calculator to estimate how long you'll live.
Obesity
Obesity – New Zealand Social Indicator
Proportion of the population aged 15 years and over who are obese, by sex, age group, and ethnic group.
Physical activity
Participation in physical activity – New Zealand Social Indicator
Proportion of the population aged 15 years and over who are physically active, by sex, age group, and ethnic group.
Psychological distress
Prevalence of psychological distress – New Zealand Social Indicator
Proportion of people aged 15 years and over who are likely to have an anxiety or depressive disorder, by sex, age group, and ethnic group.
Smoking
Tobacco smoking – New Zealand Social Indicator
Proportion of the population aged 15 years and over who smoke tobacco, by sex, age group and ethnic group.
2013 Census district health board tables (published 2014)
Data on cigarette smoking behavior in each DHB area, including data by sex and age group (2006 and 2013 data).
Suicide
Suicide – New Zealand Social Indicator
The number of suicide deaths per 100,000 people by sex, age group, and Māori/non-Māori.
Related pages
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Income
Statistics broken down by sex, or specifically about women, relating to income and the gender pay gap.
Gender pay gap
Measuring the gender pay gap (published 2015)
This article discusses the extent of the gender pay gap, and our recommendation for measuring the pay gap between females and males.
Income earned
Incomes (NZ.Stat tables)
Data on income earned, including breakdowns by sex, is available from NZ.Stat.
Household Economic Survey
Household income and expenditure patterns, including a range of demographic data. Compares personal income by sex.
New Zealand Income Survey
Annual information about individual and household income, including data by sex.
Survey of Family, Income, and Employment
Data on topics relating to work, family, household circumstances, income, and net worth. Includes data on women in relation to their majority representation as the parent in sole-parent families.
Labour Market Statistics
Quarterly data on hours worked and earnings, including movements in base salary and wage rates. It also contains employment and unemployment statistics, including data by occupation and industry. Includes data by sex.
2013 Census QuickStats about income (published 2014)
Census data on sources and amounts of personal, family, and household income, including breakdowns by region. Personal income data includes a breakdown by sex.
2013 Census – income (NZ.Stat tables)
Detailed data tables with geographic breakdowns by council area, and often area unit level. Includes total income and sources of income for individuals, families, and households. Includes data by sex.
2013 Census district health board tables (published 2014)
Census data on personal income and sources, by DHB area, including data by sex (2006 and 2013 data).
Related pages
Related websites
Population
The following links describe the composition of New Zealand’s population. For more detailed information, see the topics under ‘Related pages’.
Census 2013 map – age group and sex
Map showing the proportion of New Zealanders in each age group, by sex.
2013 Census: New Zealand as a village of 100 people – infographic (published 2013)
Pictorial information that includes population and demographic data, including data by sex.
2013 Census QuickStats about national highlights (published 2013)
Population and demographic data at a national level, with breakdowns by age and sex.
2013 Census district health board tables (published 2014)
Population data for each DHB area on a range of topics, including breakdowns by sex (2006 and 2013 data).
Focusing on women: 2005 (published 2005)
Report describing the demographic, social, and economic characteristics of women in New Zealand.
Related pages
Safety and security
Statistics broken down by sex, or specifically about women, relating to safety and security. Topics include safety at night, injuries, and death from assault.
Safety at night
Gender, safety, and loneliness (NZ.Stat tables)
Data on safety and loneliness by gender, age, and family type, using findings from the New Zealand General Social Survey.
Injuries
Serious injury outcome indicator statistics
Data on fatal and serious non-fatal injuries, including breakdowns by sex.
Injury Statistics: Work-related Claims
Data on claims accepted by ACC for work-related injuries, and trends. Includes data by sex.
Death from assault
Death from assault – New Zealand Social Indicator
Rate of deaths caused by assault, as a proportion of the total population, including data by sex.
Related pages
Related websites
Social connectedness
Statistics broken down by sex, or specifically about women, relating to contact with family and friends, loneliness, and use of technology.
Contact with family and friends
Contact with friends and family – New Zealand Social Indicator
Proportion of people aged 15 years and over, by sex, who said the amount of contact they have with friends and family who don’t live with them is ‘about right’.
Contact between young people and their parents – New Zealand Social Indicator
Proportion of secondary school students who said they get enough time with their mum and/or dad, most of the time. Includes data by sex of student and parent.
Loneliness
Loneliness – New Zealand Social Indicator
Proportion of people aged 15 years and over, by sex, who reported feeling isolated from others in the past four weeks.
Gender, safety, and loneliness (NZ.Stat tables)
Data on safety and loneliness by gender, age, and family type, using findings from the New Zealand General Social Survey.
Loneliness in New Zealand: Findings from 2010 NZ General Social Survey (published 2013)
Report that explores patterns of loneliness in adults aged 15 years and over, including some data broken down by sex.
Use of information and communication technology
Household Use of Information and Communication Technology
Data on the use of information and communication technology by households and individuals, including internet access. Includes some data broken down by sex.
Related pages
Time use
Statistics broken down by sex, or specifically about women, on time use.
Satisfaction with free time – New Zealand Social Indicator
Proportion of people aged 15 years and over, by sex and age group, who reported having ‘the right amount of free time’.
Time Use Survey
Data on how people aged 12 years and over spend their time, including paid and unpaid work, education, and leisure activities. Includes data by sex and labour force status.
The effect of geographical location on time use: Facts from the Time Use Survey: 2009/10 (published 2011)
Report on how geographic location affects people’s time use, using an urban versus rural comparison, a regional comparison, and data by sex.
Who are Kiwis spending their time with? Findings from the 2009/10 Time Use Survey (published 2011)
Poster showing the nature and frequency of social contact for a range of people in different circumstances, including data by sex.
Caring for children: Findings from the 2009/10 Time Use Survey (published 2013)
Report analysing the time parents spend with their children, including data by sex.
Related pages
Well-being
Well-being statistics measure individuals' perceptions of their life, and include data broken down by sex
New Zealand General Social Survey
The NZGSS is New Zealand’s official survey of well-being, which covers social and economic measures and how well-being outcomes are distributed across different population groups. The tables for each survey include data by sex.
Māori well-being
Te Kupenga tables
Te Kupenga is our first survey of Māori well-being carried out in 2013, which gives a picture of the social, cultural, and economic well-being of Māori. It also provides information about the health of Māori language and culture. The tables include data by sex.
Related pages
Updated 22 June 2015