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Wellington - The head of a major New Zealand employers' group faced calls for his resignation on Thursday, after suggesting women deserve to be paid less than men because they take sick leave once a month.
Employers and Manufacturers Association chief executive Alasdair Thompson said pay should reflect productivity and the difference in wages between genders reflects the fact that women take more sick days than men.
His comments came after Green MP Catherine Delahunty released figures showing New Zealand women are paid about 12% less than men.
"Who takes the most sick leave? Women do, in general," he told radio station Newtalk ZB.
"Why? Because once a month they have sick problems. Not all of them, but some do. They have children that they have to take time off to go home and take leave of. Therefore it's their productivity. It's not their fault."
Thompson said he was simply stating facts.
"I'm sorry, I don't like saying these things because it sounds like I'm sexist, but it's the facts of life," he said.
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly said Thompson's comments were insulting to women and he should step down immediately.
"To hear him suggest there is a physical reason for the difference in pay is just outrageous," she told the New Zealand Press Association.
The National Council of Women condemned Thompson's remarks as "arrant nonsense", while Delahunty said they were "outdated, bizarre and sexist".
Thompson issued a statement after his radio interview,: saying "If a person's productivity is more or less than someone else, that will be recognised in their pay."
"It's a pity if saying this is not PC (politically correct)," he said.
