The number of women staying home to care for families has significantly declined, partially offset by a surge in long-term sickness absences, particularly among younger women. This shift raises concerns about the impact on future workforce participation and the health of young women.
Women are more likely to be off work sick due to long-term sickness than looking after families. Official figures have underlined the plunge in the number of stay-at-home mums in recent decades. Some 2.9million said they were out of the workforce to care for relatives or the home in 1993, according to the ONS. That accounted for more than 48 per cent of the total number of women classed as 'inactive' at the time. But data released earlier this month showed the level had tumbled to 1.
46million - 26.7 per cent of the total. The dramatic reduction has partly offset a huge rise in the numbers long-term sick since Covid. In 1993 just 842,000 women fell into that category, 14 per cent of inactive females. But by August-October this year the equivalent number was 1.51million, accounting for 27.6 per cent. The Times highlighted that there had been a sharp fall among younger women. A decade ago, 250,100 aged 16 to 24 were not working because they were looking after families. But that was down to just 93,900 this year - potentially partly because women are having children later in life. Over the same period, inactivity due to long-term sickness has gone from 52,000 to 117,600. Keir Starmer and Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall have pledged a crackdown on long-term sickness and inactivity among Brits. Louise Murphy, of the Resolution Foundation think-tank, told The Times it was 'probably good news that fewer people are out of work to care for family'. But she added: 'There is this worrying trend of more young people not being in education or work because of ill health - that's doubled in the past decade.' 'Youth unemployment is fairly low in historic terms, so the rise in ill health is the most important thing driving the rise'
WOMEN LABOURFORCE LONG-TERMSICKNESS FAMILYCARING HEALTH
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