Record number of women employed

Men still have a higher employment rate than women

A record number of women are currently employed, but half are working part-time, according to the Office of National Statistics.

A report says the number of working women has been rising steadily for decades, and that 2008 employment levels are at a record high.

There are now approximately 13.6 million jobs filled by women, and a similar amount held by men.

But men still have a higher employment rate of 79%, compared to 70% for women.

And only one in six men are in a part-time position, compared with around half of the women who are in work.

The research is the latest update on the Focus on Gender study, which began in the 1970s, and these latest findings update the study for the first time in more than three years.

They also suggest that having children has an impact on women taking up full-time positions, with 38% of women with dependent children working part-time, compared with only 4% of men with dependent children.

A spokeswoman for the Equality Unit said: "The government is committed to supporting families, so that they can choose how to balance work while caring for children and older relatives.

"Flexible working has been a great success, but we want to make sure that everyone who is entitled to this right to request knows about it - including fathers and those who care for older relatives - which is why we'll be launching an awareness raising campaign later this year."

The survey also found there were almost three times as many women aged 90 or over than men in the country last year, and that 80% of criminal offenders were men, compared with just 20% of women.