Focus On Gender

On Friday the Office of National Statistics released figures here focusing on the differences between men and women.

• There are more women than men in the UK and they live longer. Women spend more years in poor health than men.

• Around half of all men and women are married, but among the divorced and widowed, men are more likely to remarry than women.

• Men are more likely to own their own home, while women are more likely to rent from the social sector.

• A greater proportion of men are in employment, women are more likely to work part time.

• For women, the presence of a dependent child has a substantial impact on employment.

• Of working-age women with children aged under five, 57 per cent were in employment.

• Fifty six per cent of lone mothers were in employment, compared with 72 per cent of married or cohabiting women with dependent children.

• Flexible working arrangements among men and women with dependent children show a similar story. Just under a third of mothers used some form of flexible working pattern compared with around a fifth of fathers.

• In June 1985, 28 per cent of employee jobs held by men were in manufacturing. By March 2008 this had fallen to 16 per cent.The proportion of manufacturing jobs held by women also dropped, from 15 per cent to 5 per cent.

• Men are ten times more likely than women to be employed in skilled trades (19 per cent compared with 2 per cent) and are also more likely to be managers and senior officials.

• While more men drive than women, women make more so-called 'escort' trips, such as taking a child to school or a club.


Thanks to The Herald for this article, The XY factor: men still more likely to have full-time jobs, pointing me in the right direction.