More women are now in work than ever before. Should we be celebrating? | thearticle

New ONS figures have revealed that wage growth in the UK had reached an 11-year high. The Tories can now boast that the employment rate is at its joint highest since 1971, with a record high

of 32.81 million people in work. These numbers were not boosted by horrible zero-hour contract stats; they were explained by salaried roles. What pleased the government all the more is that

women were behind much of the rise in employment; 72.1 per cent are now in work. Speaking about the data, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Minister for Women and Equalities,

Amber Rudd said, “I hope all young people, especially women, feel empowered to flourish in every sector.” In many ways, she is right to be jubilant, particularly as 1.11 million women are

now in professional, scientific and technical roles, where much capital is focused. Even so, it’s important to keep a critical mind about the causes of the high employment rate, and what

they say about female financial emancipation in 2019. Much of the hike is driven by a 70 per cent increase of women in part-time, self-employed roles since 2006. On one hand, these roles can

be incredibly liberating, allowing women to plan work around their other responsibilities, like childcare, and be more picky about what jobs they want to take on. But there is a dark side,

too, as part-time roles are often the lowest paid in the job market. In fact, they are arguably the biggest reason that there is a pay gap between men and women: women are more likely to

take on part-time jobs, as the primary caregivers in most families. In later life, disparities become even more pronounced when women become sandwich carers, looking after parents in

addition to kids, and continuing in insecure jobs. Self-employment, too, has its own stresses; work can be unstable and hard to get. The next question we should ask is whether it’s a good

thing that 352,000 fewer women now look after families, as ONS data demonstrates. From one perspective, this is an excellent development, meaning women no longer have to give up careers for

children. But with the declining birth rate, it might point to something more bleak; that economic pressures are cutting into family life. The cost of living is now so high that both parents

often have to work. It is ironic that Conservatives, which pride themselves on being the party of the family, have overseen this societal change. That being said, one of the most exciting

pieces of data from the ONS is the surge in over-50s women who are in employment, which stands at a record 5.02 million. Our older workforce is one of the most untapped resources this

country has; this is the conclusion from Camilla Cavendish’s recent book Extra Time, which asks readers to completely reject their ideas of what old age is, and when retirement should be. We

are living longer, and some of us are more than capable of working well into our 70s (and even 80s), dare I say. Perhaps increasing the length of employment for female workers is the most

feminist aim the government can work towards. Currently people have a  rigid view of what age people should be when their careers are the most successful. Typically, the decade between 30-40

is the period where men and women are expected to “make it”. But it’s also when women’s biological clock is ticking hardest. Having a rethink about how we expect women to structure their

lives is overdue, and critical for emancipation. All in all, there are lots of reasons to celebrate the ONS data, showing the growth of Britain’s female workforce. But without close

analysis, we cannot be sure the extent to which this signals freedom, or economic necessity.