Part 1: Education and Training
School leavers
- A higher proportion of female school leavers achieved 3+ A-levels A*-C compared with males in 2020/21.
- 63% of Females achieved 3+ A-levels A* - C compared with 43% of males in 2020/21.
Source: School Leavers 2020/21, Department of Education
ApprenticeshipsNI starts by sex
- In 2020/21 approximately 67% of ApprenticeshipsNI starts were male and 33% were female.
- The most heavily dominated ApprenticeshipsNI subject areas by sex (April 2022) are listed below (All subject areas listed have 90% or more participants belonging to one sex)
Male:
- Amenity Horiculture
- Electrical and Electronic Servicing
- Electrical Distribution and Trans. Engineering Glass Industry
- Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration
- Land Based Service Engineering
- Light Vehicle Body and Paint Operations
- Rail Transport Engineering
- Security Systems
- Mechanical Engineering Services (Plumbing)
- Electrotechnical
- Construction Crafts
- Construction
- Engineering
- Vehicle Body and Paint
- Vehicle maintenance and Repair
- Print Production
- Printing Industry
- Construction Technical
- Furniture Production
- Distribution and Warehousing
Female:
- Advice and Guidance
- Dental Nursing
- Nail Services
- Vehicle Sales
- Childcare learning And Development
- Beauty Therapy
- Health and Social Care
- Hairdressing
Source: ApprenticeshipsNI statistics from August 2013 to April 2022, Department for the Economy
ApprenticeshipsNI starts by sex
- Since 2013/14 starts on the ApprenticeshipsNI programme have decreased by over one fifth for females whilst increasing by over one half for males.
- Since 2013/14 female starts on the ApprenticeshipsNI programme have decreased by 22%
- Since 2013/14 male starts on the ApprenticeshipsNI programme have increased by 51%
Source: ApprenticeshipsNI statistics from August 2013 to April 2022, Department for the Economy
Further education enrolments
The below figures also include higher education and essential skills enrolments at further education colleges.
- For each year since 2016/17 males accounted for a higher proportion of enrolments at Further Education colleges than females (each student can enrol in more than one subject).
- In 2016/2017, 53% were males and 47% were females
- In 2017/2018, 53% were males and 47% were females
- In 2018/2019, 54% were males and 46% were females
- In 2019/2020, 54% were males and 46% were females
- In 2020/2021, 56% were males and 44% were females
- However, when looking specifically at higher education enrolments at FE colleges, females accounted for 51% of total enrolments since 2016/17.
Source: Further Education Sector Activity in NI 2016-17 to 2020/21, Department for the Economy
Higher education enrolments
- 44% of full-time undergraduate students in 2020/21 were male.
- 56% of full-time undergraduate students in 202/21 were female.
Source: Higher Education Enrolments 2020/21, Department for the Economy
HE qualifiers by subject area
- 60% of qualifiers at NI HEIs in 2020/21 were female, with 4,125 more females receiving a qualification than males.
- Several subject areas at higher education are heavily dominated by sex.
- Subjects with the highest proportion of male qualifiers at NI HEIs, 2020/21
- Engineering – 76%
- Computing – 71%
- Architecture, building and planning – 66%
- Mathematical sciences – 60%
- Physical sciences – 57%
- Subjects with the highest proportion of female qualifiers at NI higher education institutions, 2020/21
- Subjects allied to medicine – 84%
- Psychology – 82%
- Education and teaching – 70%
- Language and are studies – 69%
- Social Sciences – 68%
Source: Higher Education Qualifications 2020/21, Department for the Economy
Narrow STEM qualifiers in FE and HE
- Females are under-represented amongst Narrow STEM qualifiers at both Further and Higher Education.
- Out of total Further Education Students gaining qualifications in Narrow STEM subjects by sex in 2020/21, 72% were Male and 28% were female.
- Out of total Higher Education Students gaining qualifications in Narrow STEM subjects by sex in 2020/21, 59% were male and 41% were female.
Source: Further Education Sector Activity in NI 2016-17 to 2020/21 and Qualifications at UK Higher Education Institutions, Northern Ireland Analysis 2020/21, Department for the Economy
HE narrow STEM subject gaps by sex
Narrow STEM includes the following subject areas - biological and sports sciences; psychology; physical sciences; mathematical sciences; engineering and technology; computing; and geography, earth and environmental studies (natural sciences).
- The sex gap in narrow STEM subjects at NI’s HEIs is particularly pronounced in the engineering and technology, and computer science subjects, where 25% of males qualified in these subjects compared with just 6% of females.
Source: Higher Education Qualifications 2020/21, Department for the Economy
Lifelong learning by sex
- An estimated 20.7% of females aged 25 to 64 participated in education or training in 2020, 5.2 percentage points higher than the equivalent figure for males (15.5%) over this period.
- The gap in lifelong learning by sex is greatest at degree level and above, where 30.4% of females aged 25 to 64 participated in education or learning compared with 23.1% of males.
Source: Qualifications in Northern Ireland 2020, Department for the Economy
Part 2: Labour market
Employment rate
- The employment rate gap for males and females in Northern Ireland has re-widened to pre-pandemic levels after reaching near convergence and narrowing to its lowest level on record (0.2 percentage points in July to September 2021).
- Over the past 10 years females have accounted for over four-fifths of the overall increase in total employment in Northern Ireland.
Source: Labour Force Survey, Department for the Economy and Northern Ireland Skills Barometer 2021 Update, Ulster University Economic Policy Centre
Part-time employment by sex
Full-time/part-time classification: The classification of employees, self-employed, those on government work-related training programmes and unpaid family workers in their main job as full-time or part-time is on the basis of self-assessment. People on Government supported training and employment programmes who are at college in the survey reference week are classified, by convention, as part-time.
- From April to June 2020 to April to June 2022 the percentage of males in part time employment varied from around 11% - 14%, compared to the female rate of between 35% - 39%.
Source: Labour Force Survey, Department for the Economy
Industries with the lowest proportion of part-time employment
- The 5 Industries with the lowest proportion of part-time employees in Q1 2022 are:
- Manufacturing – 6.6%
- Information and communication – 9.5%
- Construction – 10.1%
- Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply – 10.1%
- Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities – 14.5%
Source: Quarterly Employment Survey, Department for the Economy
Career progression by sex
- In 2021 the proportion of workforce was 51% male and 49% female. However, out of total Managers, directors and senior officials, 63% were male and 37% were female.
- Despite accounting for a similar proportion of the workforce, females are significantly under-represented amongst managers, directors and senior officials, with representation amongst these occupations 26 percentage points lower than that of males
Source: Annual Population Survey, NomisWeb
Zero occupations
Zero occupations are occupations with at least 3,000 in overall employment (males + females) but one sex makes up an estimated 500 or less of that employment.
Occupations classified as ‘zero occupations’ for females are listed below:
- Engineering technicians
- IT user support technicians
- Property, housing & estate managers
- Welding trades
- Civil engineers
- Plumbers and heating & ventilating engineers
- Construction and building trades
- Electrical and electronic trades
- Clergy
- Metal working production & maintenance fitters
- Bus and coach drivers
- Electricians and electrical fitters
- Farm Workers
- Vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians
- Security guards and related occupations
- Carpenters and joiners
- Elementary construction occupations
- Large goods vehicle drivers
Occupations classified as ‘zero occupations’ for males are listed below:
- Nursery nurses and assistants
- Waiters and waitresses
- Midwives
- Childminders and related occupations
- Receptionists
- Health Professionals n.e.c
- Hairdressers and barbers
Source: Labour Force Survey, NomisWeb
Northern Ireland Civil Service – senior civil servants breakdown by sex
- From 2000 to 2022 there has been a continual increase in the proportion of senior female civil servants, reaching a convergence with the proportion of senior male civil servants in 2022.
- The sex profile of senior civil servants now reflects that of total civil service staff, where there has been equal representation of males and females since 2000.
- Male staff as a proportion of senior civil servants was 89% in 2000 and Female staff as a proportion of senior civil servants was 11%.
- In 2022 both Male and Female staff as a proportion of senior civil servants were 50%.
Source: Equality Statistics for the NICS 2022, NISRA
Economic inactivity
- The economic inactivity rate gap for males and females in Northern Ireland has re-widened to pre-pandemic levels after narrowing to its lowest level on record (2.4% in July to September 2021).
Source: Source: Labour Force Survey, Department for the Economy
Reasons for economic inactivity by sex
- Male inactivity is made up of higher proportions of long-term sick and students compared with females
- Male reasons for inactivity (March to May 2022):
- Long term sick – 39%
- Family and home care – 8%
- Retired – 9%
- Student – 32%
- Other – 12%
- Female reasons for inactivity (March to May 2022):
- Long term sick – 32%
- Family and home care – 24%
- Retired – 10%
- Student – 24%
- Other – 10%
Source: Labour Force Survey, Department for the Economy
Falling female inactivity due to caring responsibilities
- The number of females economically inactive due to caring and home responsibilities declined by an estimated 12,000 individuals or 7.7 percentage points since the start of the covid pandemic.
- Female economic inactivity in Jan-March 2020 was recorded as 31.5%.
- Economic inactivity was beginning to rise again as in Feb-Apr 2022 it rose to 23.8%.
Source: Labour Force Survey, Department for the Economy
Impact of children on employment prospects
Economically inactive is defined as people not in employment who have not been seeking work within the last 4 weeks and/or are unable to start work within the next 2 weeks.
- 28% of females who have a child aged 1-4 are economically inactive, over 20 percentage points higher than the proportion of males who have a child aged 1-4 and are economically inactive (8%).
- Roughly 41% of females who have dependent children work part-time.
Source: Women in Northern Ireland 2020/2021, NISRA
The effect of childcare on female employment in NI
- As a result of this, women are over-represented in part-time work and temporary employment. In addition, having one or more children reduces women’s likelihood of being in a permanent full-time job by almost a third; with only 45% of women with dependent children working in a permanent, full-time job. “
- “Women are less likely to work full-time than men. 60% of employed women with dependent children work full time, compared to 94% of employed men with dependent children.”
- “A 2021 report by Employers for Childcare found that for 44% of parents, difficulties in accessing or affording the childcare they need have impacted on their ability to work. This rises to 58% of mothers, compared to 27% of fathers. Of those affected, mothers are more likely to have had to reduce their working hours (71%) or to have seen their career prospects or progression limited (49%).”