Job insecurity: women suffer most

We know that women earn a lower average wage than men, and earn far less money over a lifetime than men (putting our retirement security at major risk).

wagegap

Further evidence is accumulating that what pay we do get, we can’t rely on. The Age reports that the slowing economy is affecting women way out of proportion. 19,700 jobs were lost last month, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics says that 19,600 of them were women’s jobs. It is not certain how much of this difference is a statistical anomaly, but 99%, I’m guessing not all of it.

womenlostjobs

I’m still wistfully hoping this is a decimal point error or something, but if not, it reflects the fact that women, especially women with caring responsibilities, are more likely to be employed in part-time and casual work, and in the retail sector – and that work is not work that women can depend on. We’re always first up against the wall.

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Tagged as: australian bureau of statistics, average wage, bureau of statistics, caring responsibilities, decimal point, economy, gender gap, jobs, lifetime, money, part time, point error, proportion, retail sector, retirement security, statistical anomaly

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The 2nd Down Under Feminists Carnival « In a strange land: January 25, 2009 at 6:18 pm

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1 tigtog June 13, 2008 at 2:15 pm: 19,700 jobs were lost last month, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics says that 19,600 of them were women’s jobs. It is not certain how much of this different is a statistical anomaly, but 99%, I’m guessing not all of it.

Boggle. Wow. *wordless*
2 kate June 13, 2008 at 3:28 pm: Yup.

And my (apparently pointless) job hunting continues… not that my (male) partner’s work is exactly lucretive either.
3 Renee June 13, 2008 at 4:46 pm: As governments begin to cut back on social good projects, it will get worse for women. The family is just expected to pick up the short fall and we all know that, that really means women. They will continue to get away with this as long as women except this as a condition of their womanhood or love.