Women in the Labour Force - Women's Participation .
The status of women in the labour market is monitored through data such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics labour force surveys, particularly unemployment and participation rates, and levels of full-time and part-time work.
In October 2000: .
Women made up almost 44% of the paid workforce.
- Women make up over a third of the full-time workforce, and almost three-quarters of the part-time workforce. .
Women's unemployment rate was 5.9% - the lowest rate in decades (since at least 1978). .
65.5% of working age women (15-64 years) were in the labour force, following the record high of 66.2% in August 2000.
- 59.7% of mothers with children under 15 were in the labour force. .
57% of working women were full-time and 43% were part-time. .
42% of working mothers with children under 15 were full-time and 58% were part-time.
OSW also monitors changes to labour market assistance to assess their impact on women. .
Women's Wages .
In the August quarter 2000, female Full-Time Adult Ordinary Time Earnings were 84.0% of male earnings.
- In the August 1999 quarter, female Full-time Adult Ordinary Time Earnings reached 85.1% of men's, which was the highest rate on record. .
In the three months to August 2000, female Full-time Adult Total Earnings were 81.1% of male earnings. .
In the August 2000 quarter, female Total Earnings were 66.8% of male earnings. .
The Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business (DEWRSB) can provide information about wages and conditions of employment. On-line information is available via WageNet .
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