Learning and Development News

Gender divide in apprenticeships

By Sue Mennell (28-03-2008)
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Learning and Development News - Gender divide in apprenticeships

A new report from the TUC, Still More (Better Paid) Jobs for the Boys, shows that although there are apprenticeship places opening up for women, they tend to be in the lowest paid areas such as childcare and hairdressing, where 97.1 and 91.7 per cent respectively, of all apprenticeships are taken up by women.

In the better-paid, traditionally male-dominated areas such as engineering and construction the percentage of women apprentices falls to 1.3 and 2.5 per cent respectively.  Worse, in engineering the proportion of women apprentices fell from 4.5 per cent in 2002/3.  And despite equal pay legislation, on average women still earn 26 per cent less than men for the same work.

TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances O'Grady said: “This report shows there is still a huge gender divide in apprenticeships. Too many young women are being limited to apprenticeships in low-paid traditionally female occupations like childcare and hairdressing, and are unable to break into well-paid male occupations like engineering.”

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