Midlothian Council : Female Activity Rate

R_CENSUS_FEM_ACTIVE = (CENSUS_ACTIVE_GEN:female/act * 100.0) / WORKING_AGE_SEX:female/total

Data Role Period Covered Authority Source Details Method
CENSUS_ACTIVE_GEN:female/act 1931 SRC GBH Source Documentation System 1931 Census of Scotland, Occupations, Table 2 , 'Occupations of Males and of Females in Cities, Counties, and Large Burghs, showing also the Total "Operatives" and the Total "Out of Work"' Redistricted by GBH project
CENSUS_ACTIVE_GEN:female/act 1951 SRC GBH Source Documentation System 1951 Census of Scotland, Occupations, Table 17 , 'Occupied Population classified according to 11 terminal educational ages, (a) Scotland by 9 age sections and (b) Administrative, etc. Areas by All Ages', for '' Redistricted by GBH project
CENSUS_ACTIVE_GEN:female/act 1961 SRC GBH Source Documentation System [ERROR: authority is ''SRC'' but auth_note value of S1961OCC2_M1 does not appear in SRC_TAB] Redistricted by GBH project
CENSUS_ACTIVE_GEN:female/act 1971 CASWEB_1971 Census 1971 data UK Data Service, Census 1971 data (Table SAS05: "Economically Active (EA) residents: All residents aged 15 or over") Enumeration District counts redistricted by vector overlay
CENSUS_ACTIVE_GEN:female/act 1981 CASWEB_1981 Census 1981 data UK Data Service, Census 1981 data (SAS09: "Employment Status: All Economically Active (EA) residents: Residents aged 16 and over") Enumeration District counts redistricted by vector overlay
CENSUS_ACTIVE_GEN:female/act 1991 NOMIS NOMIS - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics Office for National Statistics, NOMIS - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics (Table S08 Economic position: Residents aged 16 and over [100%]) Enumeration District counts redistricted by vector overlay
CENSUS_ACTIVE_GEN:female/act 2001 ScotCen Scotland's Census National Records of Scotland, Scotland's Census (Tables KS09b and KS09c - "Economic activity") Sum of published counts for Output Areas or E.Ds.
CENSUS_ACTIVE_GEN:female/act 2011 NOMIS NOMIS - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics Office for National Statistics, NOMIS - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics (Tables KS602UK and KS603UK - Economic activity) Sum of published counts for Output Areas or E.Ds.

More details


Nationally, the proportion of women doing paid work has risen fairly steadily from 34% in 1931, peaking at 64% in 2011, while for men the rate dropped from 91% to 75%, greatly reducing the difference between the sexes. Households with a single, usually male 'breadwinner' are less common, while households with two people working and with no-one working have both increased.

Over time, female activity rates have risen in almost all areas, but the most striking transformation is of rural central England: almost universally, women now work except for specific periods when they take time off to have children.


How to reference this page:

GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, Midlothian Council through time | Historical Statistics on Work & Poverty | Rate: Female Activity Rate, A Vision of Britain through Time.

URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10039721/cube/CENSUS_FEM_ACTIVE

Date accessed: 31st May 2026