Last weekend’s Sunday Star Times reported that Victoria University Institute of Policy Studies senior researcher Dr Paul Callister has asked the Human Rights Commission if women-only scholarships breach human rights laws: Women-only scholarships under spotlight

“Historically, women-only scholarships were justified, but now they aren’t disadvantaged in education. My view is these scholarships are discriminatory now because we’re past the point of needing special treatment for getting women into universities and degrees,” Callister told the Sunday Star-Times.

Instead, he believed women-only scholarships should be made gender- neutral so anyone in need could apply. “Gender is no longer the clear marker of disadvantage that it once was.”

On Monday, Analiese Jackson, National Women’s Rights Officer of the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA) claimed that women-only scholarships are still justified. She asks:

“How do you determine that equality has been achieved?”