§ Mrs. RoeTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate women's earned income as a percentage of total earned income for the years 1958, 1960, 1970, 1980, and the latest available figure.
§ Mr. Norman LamontThe information is for years ending on 5 April. For single women, estimates are confined to those with total income above the PAYE threshold, and for married women, to those where the combined total income of husband and wife is above the threshold. For the years 1980–81, and the latest readily available year, 1985–86, earned income is net of superannuation contributions. I regret that information for 1958–59 and 1960–61 is not available. The nearest years for which an estimate can be compiled are shown in the table:
Women's earned income as a percentage of total earned income Per cent. 1954–55 16 1962–63 15 1970–71 20 1980–81 22 1985–86 26