Background to the Research
- The
Centre for Research on Women at the University of Ulster approached
the Equal Opportunities Commission for Northern Ireland with the suggestion
for a second look at the Women's Working Lives Survey. That survey,
a major project of the Commission, had already been reported in some
depth in an importat collection of articles. However it was felt that
it could bear further investigation and provide data for a preliminary
examination of the similarities and differences between Catholic and
Protestant women in the Northern Ireland Labour market.
Research
Approach
- The
effective sample of the study was 871 women drawn from the survey;
58.3% of women were Protestant and 41.7% Catholic.
- An
overview of the 1981 Census was also carried out, paying special attention
to coverage of the employment of Protestant and Catholic women. The
project concentrated on questions of differential participation of
women in the two communities in paid work and on the forms of work
they do.
Key
Findings
Profile
of Sample
- Protestant
women are older on average than Catholic women and they are less likely
to have dependent children.
- A majority
of Protestant women live in the Belfast area with a majority of Catholic
women living outside that area.
- A much
higher percentage of Protestant women have a partner in paid work
than do Catholic women.
Who
Participates in Paid Work?
- Catholic
women's economic activity is markedly lower than Protestant women's,
and the proportions in work are lower for Catholic women for both
full-time and part-time work.
- Catholic
women's comparative employment disadvantage holds true for both younger
and older women; it is more marked, however, for older women.
- Catholic
women are consistently more likely to be unemployed than are Protestant
women; this pattern remains regardless of age, marital status, area
of residence, age and number of dependent children.
- Contrary
perhaps to expectations, however, there are higher proportions of
younger Catholic women, and particularly those whose children are
under five years of age, in full-time employment than there are in
the Protestant population.
- For
Catholic women living outside Belfast, only 44% are in employment
compared with 59 % of Protestant women. This is one of the largest
differences between the two groups revealed in the study.
Which
Women, Which Jobs?
- Public
Sector work, especially in medicine and health, is the most important
sector of work for Catholic women, followed by personal services;
distribution and catering is the most important for Protestant women,
followed by medicine and health.
- In
occupational terms, more Protestant women work in clerical jobs, while
more Catholic women are concentrated in personal social services.
- Clerical
work is significant in terms of both full-time and part-time work
for both groups of women; personal service work, as already noted
more important for Catholic women, is especially so for those who
work part-time.
- There
is a higher percentage of Catholic women in professional occupations
than Protestant women, although the importance of teaching for both
communities is notable.
- Younger
Protestant women are strongly concentrated in clerical work, whereas
younger Catholic women are concentrated both in sales and public services.
- The
occupations of women who live in Belfast are broadly similar, though
a pattern of more personal service work among Catholic women remains.
The
Question of Earnings
- There
are more Catholic women in the lowest earnings bands and this holds
true for both full-time and part-time workers.
- Though
the numbers are small, there are also more Catholic women in the higher
income bands.
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