The employment rate of women has more than doubled since 1998

The latest data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) paints a picture of significant progress for women in the workforce in recent years. Key points from the report include:

1. Employment Growth: The number of women in employment has more than doubled since 1998, increasing by 104.2% to reach 1,310,600 in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to 641,800 in the same period of 1998.
2. Decline in "Home Duties": The number of women reporting their "principal economic status" as "engaged in home duties" has dropped significantly by 60%, from 520,500 in 2010 to 208,200 in 2024, indicating a shift away from traditional domestic roles.
3. Workforce Composition: Women made up 41.9% of full-time workers and 67.3% of part-time employees in the final quarter of 2024, reflecting their increasing presence in the labor force, particularly in part-time roles.
4. Married Women in Employment: The number of married women in employment has grown by 21.5% between 2019 and 2024, highlighting changing social norms and increasing opportunities for married women in the workforce.
5. Wage Growth: Median weekly wages for women grew by 32.7% from 2013 to 2023, from €469.74 to €623.22. This wage growth outpaced the increase for men, whose median weekly earnings grew by 30.5%, from €590.63 to €770.52.
6. Representation Among High Earners: The proportion of women in the top 1% of earners has increased from 21.4% in 2018 to 26.4% in 2023, and the proportion in the top 10% has also grown, from 27.8% to 30.2% during the same period.
7. Gender Pay Gap: In 2022, the Gender Pay Gap (GPG) stood at 9.6%, with mean hourly earnings of €27.73 for men and €25.06 for women, indicating a persistent but narrowing wage gap between genders.
8. Education and Sectors: Women have a higher educational attainment than men, with 62.6% of employed women holding a third-level degree compared to 50.7% of men. The Human Health & Social Work sector and Education sector have the highest concentrations of female employees, with women comprising around three-quarters of the workforce in both sectors.

This data underscores the significant strides women have made in the labor market over the past few decades, but also highlights ongoing challenges such as the gender pay gap and underrepresentation in certain high-paying industries.