Background to the Research

• This is the fifth 'Where do Women Figure' booklet to be compiled and published by the EOC. Its aim is to provide a user-friendly digest of the most recent statistics available about men and women in a broad range of areas in Northern Ireland.
  

Main Findings

Education and Training

• At GCSE and A-Level girls do better than boys in the majority of subjects.
  
• Girls continue to be under-represented in certain science and technology subjects.
  
• Girls account for only a fifth of GCSE technology entrants and 27% of A-Level physics entrants.
• Only 38% of entrants taking GCSE computers studies are female.
  
• In 1997-98 females accounted for 56% of full-time undergraduates and 51% of postgraduates.
  
• At university, females account for the majority fo students studying biological sciences (70%), languages and related studies (75%) and subjects allied to medicine (83%).
  
• Females account for only 14% of engineering and technology students, 26% of architecture and related studies students, and 32% of mathematical sciences students.
  
• The percentage of females studying education at university has dropped by 18% since 1987/88.
  
• There has been an increase in female students studying physical sciences, which include chemistry, geography, geology, astronomy and oceanography. In 1997/98 women accounted for 52% of physical science students, an increase of 18% since 1987/88.

Employment

• Women are less economically active than men.
  
• In the industrial sector, women employees predominate in education, health and social work.
  
• The majority of employers who do work in agriculture, energy, manufacturing, construction, transport and communication are men.
  
• Only 9% of females work as managers and administrators, compared to 20% of males.
  
• In professional occupations females tend to work as nurses, teachers or administrators. Less than one third of females work as doctors and dentists or as accountants, values, and financial specialists. Under a fifth work as scientists, engineers or technologists.
  
• Jobs which are classified as low paid are predominantly female, e.g. 99% of secretaries, typists and receptionists and 87% of cleaners, caretakers and road sweepers are female.
  
• Just over 22% of females are likely to work 21 hours or less whilst 5% of men do the same hours.
  
• Most women and men are likely to work between 30-48 hours a week.
  
• A fifth of men are likely to work over 48 hours a week.
  
• Women with three dependent children are more likely to work part-time than full-time.
  
• Women between the ages of 35-44 are more likely to work part-time than any other age group.
  
• Of the total number of people unemployed, 22% were female, representing 4% of the workforce.
  
• Women earn less than men. In 1998, women's earnings were 84% of men's.

Childcare Provision

• The number of day nursery places per 1,000 of the population aged 0-4 in Northern Ireland has increased from 0.8% in 1975 to 35% in 1998.
  
• The number of places in playgroups for those aged 3-4 per 1,000 of the population had increased in Northern Ireland from 90 in 1975 to 322 in 1998.

Public Life

• Overall, nearly half of all trade union members are women.
  
• The number of women on public bodies has increased from 19% in 1989 to 34% in 1999.
  
• 12% of public bodies remain without any female representation.
  
• At local government level, less than 15% of all councillors are female.
  
• Three District Council areas have no female councillors while one has 10 female councillors.
  
• Of the candidates standing in the Assembly elections, just over 15% were female.
  
• The Northern Ireland Assembly has the lowest number of female representatives out of all the UK legislative bodies; only 14 out of 108 Assembly members are women.

Complaints and Enquiries

• Between 1998-99 the EOC received 3,245 general enquiries from individuals, 747 from employers and 1,963 legal enquiries and complaints.
  
• Of the legal complaints, 310 were related to recruitment and selection, 297 were about maternity and pregnancy rights and 255 were about sexual harassment.