British Women Attitude To Work

The female employment rate in UK stood at 72% in 1999 (Aassve and Burgess 2004:1). The majority of women work outside the home before and after having children, regardless of marital status (Storry 2007:123). According to research “Employment Patterns of British Families in 2001. Family Change 1999 to 2001”, conducted by Alan Marsh and Jane Perry, more than half (54 per cent) of mothers work full-time (16 or more hours a week), including 42 per cent of mothers with children under five. Overall, about 70 percent of married mothers are economically active, but this varies significantly with the age of the children; 58 percent of women with a youngest child of preschool age (under five) are employed compared with 78 percent of mothers with a youngest child over ten (Marsh and Perry 2003). Part-time work (under thirty hours) is very common, with about two-fifths of mothers in part-time jobs.

The research, conducted in 2002 by Gray and Gillian, investigated people’s perceptions and attitudes of what women want, the division of labor within the home, and attitudes to work and family. According to this survey, 44% of women compared to 31% of men are more likely to disagree or strongly disagree with the perception that “what women really want is a home and children”. 70% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that both the man and woman should contribute to the household income (Gray and Gillian 2002).
The most striking aspect of these women’s accounts is their commitment to their jobs. They explained it with an importance for personal self-esteem and an opportunity to exercise authority (Lewis 2001:152).