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Feminism: Sex & gender discussions

Unemployment figures

5 replies

higgle · 19/04/2012 10:16

I don't think I've ever started a thread in this section but the news about the most recent unemployment figures has really made me think. As I understand it overall ( and subject to lots of provisos) the general level of unemployment has fallen a very small amount in the last month. David Cameron said in the House of Commons yesterday that it was churlish of the opposition to be banging on about pastie tax when they should have been congratulating him on the reduction in unemployment. The reality for women is that 8,000 more of them are out of work now than the month before and that female unemployment figures are the highest they have been for 25 years. I'm staggering to comprehend that anyone should think this situation is one to be proud of.

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Frontpaw · 19/04/2012 10:20

And the are a lot of women who are actually undemployed but not registered because they do not receive dole (family income too high) or bother. To go the the job office as they are f not use to them.

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margerykemp · 20/04/2012 23:50

Yes the real figure will be much higher as you only 'count' as unemployed for 6 months if your partner is employed.

However one reason for female unemployment being do high is the reclassification of single mums from carers to unemployed.

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Frontpaw · 21/04/2012 09:28

And more men doing part time jobs (the ones women woould have done in the past) due to the crappy economy!

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AliceHurled · 21/04/2012 09:57

Hmm if you think that we should get back to 'old fashioned values' where men and women knew their place, you'd be proud. Or if you wanted to mitigate the impact of your electability by ensuring more men were in jobs, you'd be proud.

It's not a coincidence that the zeitgeist is all about 1950s representations of domesticity, where that was a 'woman's place'. That was to get women out of jobs for the men to have them post war. Same thing is happening now.

The current government being proud of this is entirely congruent with their politics. It's what conservatism is about.

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IDontWannaBeAStupidGirl · 21/04/2012 10:07

As well as unemployment figures I would be interested in the "economically active" figures, for both men and women.

To me that is a measure of the scale of employment, and is less prone to manipulation by reclassification. It would add to the overall picture of employemnt levels in the country.

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