as the first country where women won the right to vote it has since championed the participation of women across all levels of society and has been rated one of the best places to work as a woman in spite of key advances in the workforce women continue to be underrepresented in management and leadership roles as of women held per cent of private sector directorships a recent study commissioned by new zealand s ministry of women s affairs has substantiated these claims demonstrating that at the current rate of change it will take years to reach the per cent representation mark mcateer