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[av_hr class=’invisible’ icon_select=’yes’ icon=’ue808′ font=’entypo-fontello’ position=’center’ shadow=’no-shadow’ height=’20’ custom_border=’av-border-thin’ custom_width=’50px’ custom_margin_top=’30px’ custom_margin_bottom=’30px’ custom_border_color=” custom_icon_color=” id=” custom_class=” template_class=” av_uid=’av-ymdut’ sc_version=’1.0′ admin_preview_bg=”]<\/p>\n
[av_textblock size=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” font_color=” color=” id=” custom_class=” template_class=” av_uid=’av-ku0ym02i’ sc_version=’1.0′ admin_preview_bg=”] 26 September 2021<\/b><\/p>\n New Zealand Green Party MP Jan Logie gave a very graphic and rousing <\/span>speech<\/span><\/a> during the General Debate in the House last week.<\/span><\/p>\n She began:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cToday I want to speak about the C word.\u00a0And don\u2019t worry Mr Speaker, I\u2019m not going to be talking about my favourite C word.\u00a0I want to talk about Capitalism and how it\u2019s failing us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Logie eloquently and clearly stated the basics: many Kiwis <\/span>are<\/span> currently doing it tough under the current system, with the Covid pandemic adding extra stress on those earning least.\u00a0In such a speech, there is limited time to flesh out some of the underlying details and nuances.\u00a0 A crucial impact of Covid and related restrictions has been the high level of unemployment and under-employment for women.\u00a0 In the second part of this post, I will focus on how the current system damages the lives of too many women, especially those over 50 years old, and M\u0101ori and Pasifika women.<\/span><\/p>\n The General Debate Speech<\/b><\/p>\n Logie observed that,<\/span><\/p>\n [capitalism is] \u201ca decision to have an economic and political system in which a country\u2019s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit. And free market capitalism is an economic system that maximises supply and demand forces and minimises government oversight, regulation and intervention. Now, Mr Speaker, capitalism sucks. And this pandemic and our housing, bio-diversity and climate crises have really brought that into sharp focus for many people in this country.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She outlined the precarious and desperate living situations for many people across New Zealand, especially those in Auckland. She highlighted that,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Logie ends with a glimmer of hope. She says it\u2019s a global problem, but the tide is turning, and \u201cover 80% of Britons in the UK recognise the housing is the fault of capitalism. We can change it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Women, Capitalism and Covid<\/b><\/p>\n Women, especially those on low incomes and living precariously, have been most adversely impacted by the pandemic. Reports in the media about some Statistics NZ data highlight that \u201c<\/span>Women are bearing the brunt of Covid 19 job losses<\/span><\/a>\u201d. The evidence points to at least 60-70% of those who lost jobs being women, with \u201cwomen over the age of 50, M\u0101ori and Pasifika women\u201d being particularly hard hit.<\/span><\/p>\n A big factor is <\/span>that proportionally <\/span>more women work in retail and hospitality, as well as doing part time jobs (1). In the Covid era, women have also been more likely to have fewer hours of work than they wanted or needed, as reported by <\/span>Statistics NZ<\/span><\/a> for the September 2020 quarter (2).<\/span><\/p>\n It is significant that, according to <\/span>overseas reports<\/span><\/a>, working mothers have been particularly hard hit by Covid-related job losses. For instance solo mothers on benefits have been severely harmed and demonised by the punitive approaches of New Zealand\u2019s neoliberal state (see my earlier post, \u201c<\/span>Rocks and hard places: the punitive sanctioning of mothers<\/span><\/a>\u201d.)<\/span><\/p>\n There was some respite when the employment situation for women improved in the first half of this year, closing the gap with men\u00a0(3). Now we have had over a month of lockdown in Auckland, and it is likely women, <\/span>older people<\/span>, and M\u0101ori and Pasifika people are struggling even more than during the last lockdowns.<\/span><\/p>\n Furthermore, before Covid there was strong evidence that older people, especially older women, have a high risk of being unemployed, as reported in February 2020 <\/span>by Kelly Dennett and Josephine Franks<\/span><\/a> (4).\u00a0 They say, \u201cRisk factors included being single, not owning a home, being female, Maori or Pasifika, having experienced redundancy or unexpectedly being unable to work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n As Jan Logie\u2019s speech emphasises, free market capitalism is harming too many people, especially those in precarious circumstances. To end the glaring and damaging inequalities, we need to change the system and work together for the good of all.<\/span><\/p>\n Notes:<\/span><\/p>\n Image credit: Neil Moralee, \u2018Not enough hands,\u2019 2020<\/p>\n \n
\nBy: Karolyn<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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