Women's position in the labour market is becoming increasingly insecure. Almost 80 per cent of redundancies in the last quarter were among women, up from just 40 per cent. Cuts to public sector jobs are disproportionately affecting women. The official classification of 'public administration', 'health' and 'education' are the only broad sector of the economy where more women than men are employed. As more public sector jobs are cut, more women will find themselves out of work. More than a quarter of a million women have now been out of work for more than a year, the highest since 1995.
The continued squeeze on family incomes, with inflation rising again this month, means it may be more economical for parents, and in particular mothers who are often paid less, to leave the labour market rather than pay for childcare.
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