/ / New Research Investigates Changes in Women’s Participation in the Irish Labour Market 1998-2007

New Research Investigates Changes in Women’s Participation in the Irish Labour Market 1998-2007

The Equality Authority and the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) will today (Friday 13 November) publish a report entitled A Woman’s Place: Female Participation in the Irish Labour Market.

Between 1998 and 2007 almost 300,000 women joined the Irish labour market. In 2007, two out of three women were active in the labour market.

Factors lying behind this change include –

  • Rising levels of educational qualifications for women;
  • Demographic changes – primarily the increase in the number of women in the 25 to 34 age group, who have high participation rates;
  • Rising real wages. Increases in wages were particularly important in increasing the incentives to participate for women with lower qualifications;
  • An increase in demand for labour in the service sector and the public sector, including for many occupations that are ‘female-typed’ (i.e. jobs involving stereotypically female skills e.g. caring, interpersonal skills).

Participation increased among women with pre-school children from 54 to 60%. However, analysis of the EU SILC (The EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions) found that comparing women with the same characteristics with and without children, the effects of children on the participation decision remained the same in 2005 as in 1998. Moreover the level of participation of lone mothers with children under 5 years decreased over the period, but increased for those whose youngest child was aged 5 to 15 years.

The study also considers how this dramatic rise in participation has impacted on other aspects of gender equality within the labour market. On the topic of gender segregation in occupations the study found:

  • The female share of employment increased from 37% to 42% from Census 1996 to Census 2006;
  • Female share increased in all but 6 of 24 broad occupational groups;
  • There were large increases in the female share of business and commerce occupations from 37 to 43%, managerial/executive occupations from 32 to 42% and of the Garda Síochána from 8 to 19%, all represent desegregation;
  • But six of the top ten increases in female-share occurred in occupations in which women were already over-represented, such as an increase in the female share of personal service and childcare occupations from 61 to 68% and an increase in proportion of female teachers from 65 to 71%. The increased feminisation of these jobs adds to gender segregation in the labour market;
  • Therefore overall indices of gender segregation in occupations remained stable between 1996 and 2006, following a decline in the early 1990s;
  • Vertical segregation remains an issue – i.e. the under-representation of women at the higher levels within occupations. Men are found to be twice as likely as women to occupy senior and middle management positions.

The onset of recession since late 2008 has increased unemployment and has so far led to a fall of 1 percentage point in participation rates. It is important that the costs of increases in non-participation, both to the individual and to the economy, are included when assessing the impact of recession.

Dr Helen Russell, one of the studies authors noted that “Women have made significant inroads into a number of previously male-dominated occupations, but segregation by gender remains a strong feature of the Irish labour market. Comparisons across Europe suggest that Irelandfalls into the group with the highest segregation alongside the UK, the Netherlandsand Finland.”

Renee Dempsey, CEO of the Equality Authority, said: “This research demonstrates that we are still some way from achieving gender equality in the labour market. As a society we need to constantly renew our efforts to ensure equal treatment for women and men in all aspects of employment and to support men and women to positively reconcile work and family life. Right now, in a context where our future as a society is naturally driven by economic debate, it is essential that we do not lose sight of the economic and social benefits of equality – in the labour market and in society as a whole.”

ENDS

Notes:

  1. “A Woman’s Place: Female Participation in the Irish Labour Market“, by ESRI researchers Helen Russell, Frances McGinnity, Tim Callanand Claire Keane. The report is a joint publication of the Equality Authority and the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). It will be published on the ESRI website at www.esri.ie and the Equality Authority website at www.equality.ie on Friday 13th September 2009.
  2. The current report is the sixth in a series of research projects carried out as part of the Equality Authority/ESRI Research Programme on Equality and Discrimination.