Female convictions high in Ireland

Ireland had the fourth highest proportion of convicted female offenders out of 24 European Union countries surveyed in 2006, according to data published today.

Figures published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in a report titled Women and Men in Ireland 2008, show that of the 24 EU countries for which data is available, women accounted for 19 per cent of offenders convicted in Ireland in 2006.

The United Kingdom, Denmark and Luxembourg had a higher proportion of women with criminal convictions while Romania, Bulgaria and Latvia had the least.

Women made up seven per cent (409) of the 5,802 people committed to prison upon sentencing in the same year.

The report shows that Ireland has exceeded the EU's target for the number of women in the workforce but they still earn less than men and are under-represented in decision-making structures employment rate for women in Ireland was 60.5 per cent in the second quarter of 2008, compared with 48.1 per cent in the same period ten years previously.

The increase means that Ireland exceeds the EU target for 2010 of 60 per cent participation by women in the workforce. The employment rate for men in 2008 was 75.6 per cent, which was also above the EU average in 2007 of 72.5 per cent.

While women's income in 2006 made up around two-thirds of men’s income, their hourly earnings were around 86 per cent of men’s - when adjusted for differences in hours worked.

Despite increased representation in the workforce, today's report found that women remain under-represented in decision-making structures at both national and regional levels.

At legislative level only 13 per cent of TDs in Dáil Eireann were women in 2008. The average representation in national parliaments for EU27 countries was nearly 24 per cent in 2008. Women accounted for 34 per cent of members of State Boards last year, 17 per cent of members of local authorities and 15 per cent of members of regional authorities.

Ireland's education and health sectors continues to employ the highest proportion of women. With an 80 per cent share of the total at work in health, women account for 85 per cent of those working in primary education and for 62 per cent in second level education.

Despite high representation in health and education, women were not well represented at senior level positions in those sectors.

In the health service, women represented only 32 per cent of medical and dental consultants. Similarly, women accounted for 51 per cent of primary school managers, and in second level schools women accounted for only 38 per cent of school managers.

The early school leavers rate among women in 2007 was 8.7 per cent, which was much lower than the male rate of 14.2 per cent.

There were higher proportions of girls taking English and European languages at Leaving Certificate higher level in 2008. However, boys had higher rates of participation in technical subjects.

The proportion of men at risk of poverty in 2006, after pensions and social transfers, was 17 per cent compared to 19 per cent of women. At risk of poverty rates in 2007 were considerably lower for employed men and women at 6 per cent for both.

Life expectancy for women at birth was 81.6 years in 2006, nearly 5 years more than men whose life expectancy Was 76.8 years. Life expectancy for men at age less than one year in Ireland is over two years greater than the EU 27 average, while for women in Ireland life expectancy at age less than a year is just over half a year greater than the EU 27 average. Men are more likely to die at a younger age than women, with the difference in risk particularly high in the 15-24 years age group.

This differential reflects a greater tendency for young men to commit suicide and to be victims of motor vehicle accidents.

The figures also show that only 1 per cent of women use bicycles to travel to work - more than half the percentage (2.5 per cent) that travelled by bike ten years previously.

Over sixty per cent (61.9 per cent) of women travel to work by car an increase from 44.3 per cent in 1996 while the number of men travelling by car is lower at 53.5 per cent.

Ireland had the most gender balanced population in the EU in 2007, with 100 women per 100 men in the population. The proportion of women in older age groups the population was higher with 80 men per 100 women in the 65 and over age group. At EU level there were 71 men per 100 women in the 65 and over age group.