More women work than ever before

Female employment in the UK is at its highest ever level, with 12.5 million women aged over 16 in employment according to the spring 2000 Labour Force Survey1.

Women now account for 45% of the workforce, up from 43% in 1990. The overall employment rate for women is now 68.9%. For women with dependant children the rate is 65%, compared to 71.9% for women without dependant children. However the age of children makes a significant different to employment rates, with only 54.4% of women with children under five in work.

Employment rates for lone mothers are lower, at 48.6%, although employment growth in the past three years has been higher for lone mothers with dependant children (at 5.2%) than for married mothers (2.4%).

The UK has the third highest female employment rate in the European Union, behind Denmark and Sweden (72% and 71%).

1 "Trends in female employment", Labour Market Trends, Feb. 2001, from The Stationery Office tel: 0870 600 5522, fax: 0870 600 5533.