Understanding the Property Industry's
Gender Pay Gap
New research shows a 24.9% gender pay gap in New Zealand’s property industry – driven primarily by underrepresentation of women in senior roles, not unequal pay for the same work.
Key findings
Our research provides the clearest picture yet of the gender pay gap in New Zealand’s property industry.
24.9%
median gender pay gap (fixed and total remuneration)
The gap persists across most job levels, and is highest at supervisory level (e.g. Senior Project Manager).
38%
female representation across the sector
Women are underrepresented in portfolio asset management, property management, and development management, the higher-paying property-specific career pathways.
25%
female representation at senior and middle management level
The gap is largely compositional, driven by who progresses into senior roles.
Why is the gap so big?
It mostly comes down to which jobs women hold, not being paid less for the same job.
Pay parity vs the gender pay gap
It's easy to mix up two very different ideas, so it helps to start here.
Pay parity (equal pay)
SAME JOB, SAME PAY
Equal pay is about two people doing the same job. If a male and female property manager with the same experience are paid differently for the same role, that is an equal pay issue.
The gender pay gap
WHOLE INDUSTRY, ALL ROLES
The gender pay gap is something else. It compares the pay of all men in an industry against the pay of all women in that industry, regardless of what job each person does. It is a measure of where men and women sit in the workforce, not a measure of whether any individual is being underpaid for their specific role.
A closer look at the numbers
At entry level, the industry is close to evenly split; women hold 52% of general and entry-level technical roles. But that representation steadily drops at every level above it, down to just 24% of senior management roles.
The steepest single drop happens at the very first step into management, the move into a team leader or supervisor role.
This “broken rung” of representation is one of the biggest contributors to the overall gender pay gap.
Once that first promotion is missed, it becomes structurally harder to reach every rung above it.
Gender representation by job level
Why this matters
A more diverse and inclusive property industry is stronger, more innovative and better positioned to meet New Zealand’s future needs. Addressing the gender pay gap isn’t just the right thing to do – it helps us attract and retain top talent, improve performance and create lasting positive change.
An industry-wide commitment to change
Property Council New Zealand’s Inclusion Alliance is a group of property industry leaders each with a personal mission to foster a more diverse and inclusive property industry in New Zealand.
The Accord: seven actions and principles
Membership of the Inclusion Alliance is underpinned by an Accord with seven actions and principles. Member organisations commit to:
- Demonstrate a commitment and action plan to growing their representation of women in leadership.
- Demonstrate the steps they have taken to eliminate discrimination in the workplace.
- Commit to an action plan to support progress towards organisational gender pay gap reporting.
- Have a parental leave policy in place. They make their policy publicly available to view on the New Zealand parental leave register at gocrayon.com.
- Demonstrate their commitment to growing their Māori and Pasifika cultural competence and confidence.
- Demonstrate a commitment and action plan to create pathways into and through the property industry for Māori and Pasifika talent.
- Walk the talk on diversity. They publicly commit to the Accord principles and take actions to grow the movement.
A more inclusive property industry builds a stronger New Zealand.
Download the report
Download the summary report for full details and findings.
Contact us
We champion the New Zealand property industry
Should you wish to know more about Property Council’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, please get in touch with our Head of Membership and Commercial Services:
Sara-Jane Evans
sj@propertynz.co.nz
