Irish women still paid less than men - report
Women are still being paid less than men, the Central Statistics Office reported today.
Despite almost half of all women being in the workforce, the CSO revealed their wages were considerably less than their male colleagues.
Both hourly rates and weekly salaries are lower, the Statistical Yearbook of Ireland stated, with the average industrial pay packet for women of €406 almost €200 less than a man’s.
CSO officials suggested this was due to a number of factors including shorter length of service, less availing of overtime and more part-time working by women.
The same pattern was reflected in the construction industry, with men working on average five hours more than women.
The CSO reported average weekly earnings in 2004 increased by 4.2% in the construction industry, 4.4% in manufacturing industries and 8.6% in the public sector.
According to the review, prison officers and gardaí are the highest average weekly earners in the public sector at €1,068 and €1,059 respectively. The CSO also noted 3,199 people were in prison in 2004.
Manufacturing employees on average earned €534 a week in 2004, an annual increase of 4.4%, compared with 6.0% in 2003. In the construction sector workers took home €671 a week, up 4.2% from 2003 and 9.9% from 2002.
Secondary school teachers average €936 a week, an increase of more than 10%.
The total number of Irish speakers aged three years and over now stands at 1,570,894, the yearbook revealed. Some 339,541 use the language everyday with 153,700 of these in Leinster, 105.032 in Munster, 53,236 in Connacht and 27,573 in Ulster.
The CSO reported that number of divorced persons increased from 9,800 to 35,000 between 1996 and 2002.
Limerick city has the highest proportion of separations at 11.7%, followed by Dublin city 10.6%. But if couples want marriage to last the report showed Co Cavan had the lowest amount of separations at 4.9% of those who married.
