Women feel the heat as 33% are sole breadwinners

Published: Monday, October 24, 2011

THE increasing pressure on women to juggle family and work is highlighted in a new study which shows that more than a third of working women are the sole breadwinners in their household.

The 2011 Pfizer Health Index, published yesterday, also shows the stress people are under as a result of workplace and financial concerns, particularly among parents, with more than one-in-five affected.

Across both genders, the numbers claiming to have lost a job has trebled in the past two years, up from 7% to one-in-five. Almost half (49%) now live in a home with 'a fundamental recession impact', a rise of 233,000 year-on-year.

A quarter of homes have experienced job loss and a quarter work hours reduction.

There is almost universal agreement that women should have the opportunity to balance work and family commitments, with nine out of 10 men in favour and eight out of 10 women.

Click here to read more in this Irish Examiner Article by Catherine Shanahan...