Third of women in employment last year

Almost one of every three women had a job last year as against two out of every three in the case of men.

Figures published by the National Statistics Office to mark International Women's Day being celebrated tomorrow show that, last year, 29 per cent of all women were employed compared to 63 per cent of men.

The number of unemployed women totalled 4,141, an unemployment rate of 7.6 per cent compared to the 5.9 per cent in the case of men. Yet, despite a higher unemployment rate, women still managed to sustain the trend of increasing participation in employment in the past years, the NSO said. As for education, over 40 per cent and 34 per cent of women aged over 15 have a secondary and primary level of education respectively. Twelve per cent and 10 per cent have a post-secondary and tertiary level of education respectively whereas, eight years ago, just 10 per cent had gone beyond secondary schooling and six per cent reached the tertiary level.

The majority of women were employed as clerks, followed by service and sales workers and 17 per cent of women, compared to nine per cent of men, were working in a professional capacity. However, the percentage of men working as directors, managers and other senior officials exceeded that of women by five per cent.

Last year, there were 773 full-time and 569 part-time female employees working with non-governmental organisations. Another 3,519 women were working on a voluntary basis.

Meanwhile, the Union Haddiema Maghqudin highlighted the importance of generating more jobs in order to give women the opportunity of finding employment, especially in light of the worldwide recession that was putting families under pressure.