Ani O'Brien: The Big Lie - Delayed Motherhood and the Demographic Crisis

Social scientist Professor Paul Spoonley recently appeared on Newstalk ZB to discuss the latest Statistics NZ birth data. He reassured listeners that there is nothing to worry about in the fact that the median age of first time mothers is rising, also arguing that multi-generational households and adult children staying at home longer help offset demographic change.

Spoonley’s relaxed take echoes a broader argument you increasingly hear from progressive commentators and policymakers who insist that declining birth rates represent a triumph of women’s empowerment rather than a looming social problem.

Dr Michael Johnston: The real reasons for the gender pay gap

To solve a problem, first you have to understand it. Once you understand it, you sometimes realise that it isn’t the same problem you had thought.

For Dame Theressa Gattung, the gender pay gap isn’t merely a problem – it is a “crisis” (NZ Herald Dec 2nd). She says that women effectively work for free after 2nd December each year.