Figures published by the National Statistics Office yesterday show that the higher the level of education a woman has, the more likely it is that she will find a job.
The figures show that the percentage of employed women aged 15 to 64 years in 2005 stood at 35 per cent. This percentage rose with the level of education: employment among women went up from 11 per cent for women having a primary level of education or no schooling, to 79 per cent for those having a tertiary level.
Looking at the involvement of women in the labour market by marital status showed that women with a tertiary level of education were more likely to be employed than women with a lower education level.
As an example, the percentage of married women with a secondary level of education was 23, while that of those with a tertiary level of education was 76 per cent.
The figures were issued yesterday by the NSO in the knowledge that it was International Women’s Day.
In 2005, the NSO said, the highest level of education successfully completed for 44 per cent of the population aged 15 years and over was secondary, followed by primary with 29 per cent. The percentage of persons with a secondary level of education was the same for both sexes; however there was a higher percentage of women than men – 32 per cent as opposed to 25 per cent – who had a primary level of education. There was a growth in the number of women with a tertiary level of education, from five per cent in 2000 to nine per cent in 2005.
In 2005, 23 per cent of employed women worked as clerks and 20 per cent as service workers.
There was a higher percentage of married women than non-married working in top-level positions (managers, professionals and associate professionals).
The employment rate in 2005 stood at 55 per cent – 75 per cent for men and 35 per cent for women. The unemployment rate stood at seven per cent, which breaks down to seven per cent for men and nine per cent for women. In 2005, the inactivity rates among men and women stood at 20 per cent and 62 per cent respectively.
When considering inactive persons aged 15-64 years in 2005, the most common reason for not looking for a job was due to personal or family responsibilities, as 44 per cent of persons gave this answer. However, this was mostly down to 57 per cent of women giving this reason, as only four per cent of men felt the same.
In fact, the main reasons for men not looking for a job were education or training (43 per cent) and retirement (28 per cent). For women, these reasons were given by 14 per cent and seven per cent respectively.
In 2005, women in full-time jobs earned an average of Lm5,110, those working full time with reduced hours earned Lm3,662 and those working part-time earned Lm2,439. The average gross annual salary for all employees was Lm5,202 – an increase of three per cent over 2004. This increase has been achieved by a four per cent increase in the average salary for men and a two per cent increase in the average salary for women.
A difference in men’s and women’s salaries can be observed for all the years under review.
When broken down by occupation, it can be seen that persons in top-level jobs earn more.
This is the case for both sexes. Men consistently earn more than women in all occupations, however this divide is more pronounced in top-level jobs.