Female employment rate exceeds EU 2010 target
The employment rate for women in Ireland was 60.5% in the second quarter of 2008 compared with 48.1% in 1998. This rapid increase means that Ireland already exceeds the EU 2010 target of 60%. The employment rate in 2008 for men was 75.6%, which was well above the average 2007 EU rate of 72.5%.
Women’s income1 in 2006 was around two-thirds of men’s income. After adjusting for differences in hours worked, women’s hourly earnings were around 86% of men’s.
The report shows that women are under-represented in decision-making structures at both national and regional levels. In 2008 only 13% of TDs in Dáil Eireann were women, while they accounted for 34% of members of State Boards, 17% of members of local authorities and just 15% of members of regional authorities. The average representation in national
parliaments for EU27 countries was nearly 24% in 2008.
The education and health sectors employed the highest proportion of women, with an 80% share of the total at work in health, 85% in primary education and nearly two-thirds in second level education (62%). However, women were not well represented at senior level positions. In the health service, women represented only 32% of medical and dental
consultants. Similarly, women accounted for 51% of primary school managers, and in second level schools women accounted for only 38% of school managers.
The early school leavers rate among women aged 18-24 in 2007 was 8.7%, which was much lower than the male rate of 14.2%. There were higher proportions of girls taking English and European languages at Leaving Certificate higher level in 2008. However, boys had higher rates of participation in technical subjects. Over 90% of Leaving Certificate students taking higher level engineering, construction studies and technical drawing examinations were male. This pattern continued at third level with men accounting for around 86% of graduates in engineering, manufacturing and construction.
The proportion of men at risk of poverty in 2006, after pensions and social transfers, was 17% compared to 19% of women. At risk of poverty rates in 2007 were considerably lower for employed men and women at 6% for both.
Life expectancy for women at birth was 81.6 years in 2006, nearly 5 years more than the value for men of 76.8 years. Life expectancy for men at age less than 1 year in Ireland is over 2 years greater than the EU 27 average, while for women in Ireland life expectancy at age less than 1 year is just over half a year greater than the EU 27 average.
Men were generally more likely to die at a younger age than women, with the difference in risk particularly high in the 15-24 years age group. This reflects a greater tendency for young men to commit suicide and to be victims of motor vehicle accidents.
Ireland had the most gender balanced population in the EU in 2007, with 100 women per 100 men in the population. For older age groups the proportion of women in the population was higher with 80 men per 100 women in the 65 and over age group. At EU level there were 71 men per 100 women in the 65 and over age group.
1 Refers to income liable for social insurance payments.
Editor's note
Women and Men in Ireland, 2008 is available on the CSO web site (www.cso.ie (PDF 819KB) )
The report may be purchased from:
The Central Statistics Office, Information Section, Skehard Road, Cork
Government Publications Sales Office, Sun Alliance House, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2
or through any bookseller
For further information: contact Gerry Brady (01 498 4201) or Helen Cahill (01 498 4253).
Central Statistics Office
30 April 2009
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