Higher childcare costs and government spending cuts have
helped force women off the job market during the economic downturn, according
to new research released today by a leading think-tank.
High
childcare costs 'make women better off staying at home' Photo: ALAMY
By Patrick Hennessy, Political
Editor The Daily Telegraph
8:30PM
BST 06 Aug 2011
Analysis of official government
figures by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) shows the
number of women unemployed for more than 12 months has risen to 268,000 - one in four of the total number of
females out of work.
Job insecurity for growing - with women accounting for more than 40 per
cent of redundancies in the second quarter of 2011, up from 30
per cent in the first three months of the year.
The analysis shows cuts to public
sector jobs - where the amount of women in employment is proportionately higher
than in the private sector - have been a big factor in the trend, which is
already posing political problems for David Cameron.
The Prime Minister has privately
admitted the Conservative Party's appeal to women voters has slumped according
to recent opinion polls and that he needs to do more to bolster support.
Tory strategists say recent rows
over plans to end child benefit for people earning over £42,000 and to increase
university tuition fees to up to £9,000 a year have both proved highly
unpopular with women. The party has also been hit by the fall out from pension
changes which will see thousands of women in their 50s having to wait between
18 months and two years longer than expected before qualifying for their state
pension.