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 | 1921 | SRC | GBH Source Documentation System | 1921 Census of England and Wales, County Report, Table 17 , 'Occupations (Condensed list)' | Exact count provided by a government statistical office for this area |
| CENSUS_ACTIVE_GEN:female/act | 1931 | SRC | GBH Source Documentation System | 1931 Census of England and Wales, Occupations, Table 17 , 'Occupations (condensed list) of Males and Females, showing also the total Operatives and the total Out of Work' | Exact count provided by a government statistical office for this area |
| CENSUS_ACTIVE_GEN:female/act | 1951 | SRC | GBH Source Documentation System | 1951 Census of England and Wales, Occupations, Table 21 , 'Selected Occupations with Status Aggregates - abridged analysis', for 'Con divisions and sub-divisions, Urban Areas with population of less than 50,000, RD, NT' | Exact count provided by a government statistical office for this area |
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.