/ 27 July 2005

Not enough men to go round in New Zealand

Life is tough for New Zealand women in their thirties. There just aren’t enough men to go round.

There have long been more women than men in New Zealand’s population, which is now around four million, but the problem has got worse in recent years, according to a new report by accounting firm KPMG.

”There were 7 600 more women than men in this age group in 1991 but this differential has blown out to 23,800 by 2004,” said report author Bernard Salt, a partner in KPMG’s risk advisory services practice.

It seems New Zealand’s single women may be the victims of globalisation.

Salt said men going overseas were more likely to stay away and marry foreign women, while New Zealand women were likely to return if they were interested in having children.

”Where are they going to bring up the children, in England or America or Australia? Or do they want to be at home where they have social and family networks of support?” Salt told Radio New Zealand.

”I think that might be consciously or unconsciously in women’s minds,” he said. – Sapa-AFP