September 19th is Women’s Suffrage Day in New Zealand because it became the first nation in the world for its women to win the right to vote in 1893 after a long and difficult campaign. A large roll of names on the suffrage petition is now preserved at Archives New Zealand. The international significance of this document has been recognized by its inclusion on the UNESCO Memory of the World register of documentary heritage. The Ministry of Culture and Heritage Manatū Taonga worked with Archives New Zealand and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs to make the petition available online.
Members of the public can help preserve and contribute to New Zealand’s rich history by accessing the database which contains information on more than 24,000 New Zealand women, an added incentive for those searching for the names of relatives on the petition. For more information. New Zealand’s ministry for women has released the following statistics in order the demonstrate the work needed in the present and future:
64% Around two-thirds of university graduates are women. 35% More than one third of women work part-time. 14.75% The percentage of women directors on the NZX top 100 listed companies. 41.7% The percentage of women on state sector boards and committees. Up to $5.3 billion The estimated annual cost to New Zealand of family violence. $1.2 billion The estimated annual cost to New Zealand of sexual violence. 25% The lifetime prevalence of sexual violence experienced by women (2009). 13th New Zealand’s ranking out of 142 countries in the Global Gender Gap Report 2014. For more information about New Zealand.
SUFFRAGE NEWS FROM DOWN UNDER: “That Bloody Woman” is a rock opera that opened in NZ about the country’s insistent suffrage activist, Kate Sheppard. Link.
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