From 1960 to 2000 the number of women in the work force has increased gradually. This is due to the shift in employment from male to female. Women began to want to work as they became better educated and could choose to have careers. Women have become respected members of the work force.
From 1997 to 2000 the number of women employment has increased by 1.4%. The increase has been largest for women single women with children, from 43.4% to 48.6%. This may be because the government introduced a childcare vouchers scheme (Vouchers are given by the government to help pay for places in private nurseries for children in the year prior to them starting school). These vouchers will allow more single mothers to put their children in private nursery and work. However less than half of single mothers are working which indicates that mothers with dependent children find it easier not to work as they will not earn enough to pay for childcare on the wage they will receive.
Results of my research
Part time employment is the most common. It benefits the employer because it is a cheaper method of employment. Part time hours are convenient for mothers as they allow them to work and care for their family. Part time hours could just be in school time for women with school age children so they are able to care for their children. In addition, women can use a nursery or crèche to care for younger children only whilst they are working. Some places of employment have crèches on their sites.
Working from home is another attractive option for women with children. IT is easier now because of improved communications such as the Internet. Home working means a mother will be in the home and able to care for sick children, more flexible hours can also be worked.
Although several women worked full time these women either had older children or could afford substantial or full time child care. It is possible also that she could have been the main earner of the household and so the man would care for the children while she worked.
This graph shows the main reason women work is for enjoyment. This indicates that most of the women I interviewed who are working are providing supplementary incomes. These women probably have a partner who work and provide enough money from their salary to support the family however the women want to work. They provide extra money for the family. Independence is also quite an important factor for women who choose to work. The independence provided by a job makes women feel as if they are useful and keeps them in touch with the working world instead of just being a mother.
As expected most female employees work in the service sector with only 2 working in the manufacturing sector. Women who have a choice would prefer to work in the services as they are usually better at these sorts of jobs. However most employment in Britain is in the service sector, not just for women.
Nearly all mothers had had to use childcare at some point in order to work. The majority of the childcare named has to paid for by the parent.
Here are some of the typical costs of childcare:
Nanny= £5-8 an hour (depending on the ages of the children)
Private nursery= £10.50 a session (a session either morning or afternoon)
This means that for one of the families I spoke to childcare would cost them
Part time Nanny for14 hours a week = £70
Private nursery for 5 sessions a week = £52.50
Total per week = £122.50
This family receive no financial help towards childcare (vouchers are only received for childcare in the year before children begin to attend school). This family would not have been able to afford their childcare if the husband had not been earning and therefore the mother would not have been able to work as she would have had to look after the children.
Conclusion
I can conclude that more women are working than ever before in Britain. This is because of the shift from employment in the manufacturing sector to employment in the service sector. This led to more women being employed because women are naturally better at jobs which involve communication such as those in the service sector. The shift in employment from full time to part time has also contributed to the rise in the number of women employed.
Usually women with children need to pay for childcare in order to work. Childcare is expensive and so can only be afforded when the mother is earning a large salary or when there is another income in the household. In the family I interviewed one parent needs to earning a high salary in order to pay for childcare so the other parent can also work.
Because now women are more independent they like to have some sort of a job. A job provides mothers with an outlet from the family and make them feel more independent. For most of the women I interviewed the use of their qualifications was not an important factor in their decision to work. This shows that they may be working in a different area from the one they originally trained in. It could indicate that the jobs are not as highly skilled and do not make full use of the woman qualifications, despite the fact that several had degrees.
However, my results are biased as they represent only a small section of the community. Most of the women I interviewed are married and their husbands are professionals who earn high salaries. These women have the choice of whether to work or not and the majority are choosing to work in some way. A single mother may not have this choice as she will not be able to afford childcare and so will not work. In a family where one parent is earning the minimum wage private childcare will not be an option and so one of the parents will have to care for the children until they start attending a state nursery.
I think the main reason for women choosing to work is the fact that they now have the choice. Women can now raise a family and have a career. This is especially easy for women whose partners earn enough to afford childcare. This allows women to work when their children are young. My research shows that a mother who is lucky enough to have the choice will choose to work. However I think the priority of the women I interviewed was to raise a family.
Appendix One- Bibliography
Books
The Future of Work- Craig Donnellan
Equal Opportunities- Craig Donnellan
Economics for GCSE- Alain Anderton
Women at Work- Anne Dickson
Business and Economics for GCSE- Collins Educational
Internet
