Work
Married women sought employment in greater numbers than before. More than half the women in the labour force (employed and unemployed) were married in 1997.
Women in the Labour Force, 1971-1997
| |
1971 |
1981 |
1991 |
1997 |
| Female labour force as % of total labour force |
25.7 |
29.1 |
32.7 |
37.0 |
| Married women in the labour force as % of total women in the labour force |
13.6 |
30.3 |
40.8 |
52.7 |
Source: Employment Equality Agency, Women in the labour force, Dublin, 1999, p.25.
- A greater variety of employment opportunities opened up for women but the majority were in poorly paid areas exclusive to women where promotional prospects were limited.
- Unemployment rose steadily during the period, from about 70,000 (1971) to over a quarter of a million by the late 1980s and then declined steadily in the 1990s.
Questions
- The percentage of the total labour force which was female in 1997 was __%.
- The percentage of the female labour force which was married in 1971 was __%.
- The percentage of the female labour force which was married in 1997 was __%.
Activities
- Interview an older person about employment for women in the period 1971-1995.
- Research female labour statistics in the website of the Central Statistics Office or in that of the European Union.
- Copy any statistics concerning women in employment into a spreadsheet and display them on a chart.