HC Deb 19 November 1998 vol 319 cc762-4W
Mr. Leigh

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the percentage of women with a child aged between 10 and 15 years who(a) work full-time, (b) work part-time (c) are unemployed and (d) are economically inactive. [60769]

Ms Hewitt

I have been asked to reply.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Edward Leigh, dated 19 November 1998: As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary questions (60765, 60766, 60767, 60768, 60769 and 60770) about the economic status of mothers with dependent children. Tables attached show data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) which is the ONS major source of labour market data on individuals. The first table shows the latest available quarterly data for the United Kingdom. The second table gives the same analysis for Great Britain for the average of the period from spring 1996 to winter 1996/7 i.e. on a geography and time period consistent with the answers to your other three questions about demographic data. In the General Household Survey (GHS), adults and children in each household are assigned to families: married couple families; cohabiting couple families and lone parent families. Children belong to the appropriate family either by virtue of being the natural children of both the parents forming the couple, or of the lone parent, or else, if they are adoptive or stepchildren, by belonging to the same family as their adoptive/step parents. Foster children, however are not regarded part of their foster parent family since they are not related to them. For the purpose of answering this question, it has been assumed that the natural/adoptive/step parent(s) are the adults responsible for the children. Attached are tables from the GHS give the information requested regarding households.

Economic status of mothers by age of youngest dependent child
Percentage
Age of youngest dependent child
0 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 15
UK, summer 1998, not seasonally adjusted
In employment: 50.2 66.0 73.9
Of which full-time 18.0 23.8 34.0
Of which part-time 32.2 42.2 39.8
ILO Unemployed 4.5 4.7 3.3
Inactive 45.3 29.3 22.8
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0
GB,average spring 1996 to winter 1996/7
In employment: 49.4 64.7 74.0
Of which full-time 16.7 21.5 33.2
of which part-time 32.7 43.1 40.7
ILO Unemployed 4.8 5.4 3.6
Inactive 45.9 29.9 22.4
Active 100.0 100.0 100.0

Source: Labour Force Survey, ONS

Percentage of dependent children living in families within private households according to the de facto marital status of the head of family, 1996, Great Britain
De facto status of head of family Percentage
Married couple 70
Cohabiting 7
Single (never married) 8
Widowed 1
Divorced 8
Separated 7

Source: General Household Survey, ONS

Percentage of families with dependent children by marital status of head of family, 1996, Great Britain
Type of family with dependent children Percentage
Married couple 70
Cohabiting couple 8
Lone mother 20
Lone father 2
Total 100

Source: General Household Survey, ONS

Household heads by de facto marital status, 1996, Great Britain
Household head Percentage
Married 54
Cohabiting 6
Single (never married) 13
Household heads by de facto marital status, 1996, Great Britain
Household head Percentage
Widowed 15
Divorced 8
Separated 3
Total 100

Source: General Household Survey, ONS