Female Work Force

HC Deb 01 May 1995 vol 259 cc29-30W

Mrs. Peacock

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of women in the United Kingdom have jobs; and what are the figures for other major European countries. [16521]

Miss Widdecombe

[holding answer 27 March 1995]: The most recent comparable estimates between the United Kingdom and other major European countries are for 1992 and are given in the following table.

The most recent information for the United Kingdom is for spring 1994, when the rate was 65 per cent.

Total female employment as a percentage of the female population ages 15–59
Country	1992
Sweden*	76
Denmark	74
United Kingdom	64
Finland*	63
Germany	60
Portugal	58
Austria*	56
France	55
Netherlands	54
Luxembourg	50
Belgium	49
Italy	39
Greece	38
Ireland	38
Spain	33

Source: Labour Force Survey.

*ages 15–64.