Only 7.5 pc of women are in managerial jobs

Joan Collins AROUND 50 percent of the total work contracts awarded to women in the Balearics in 2005 (11'591) were for work as domestic cleaners, waitresses and shop assistants, while only 7.5 percent of contracts were for managerial jobs. This demonstrates that the majority of jobs for women in the Balearics is concentrated in the service sector, according to the Balearic Minister for Work and Training, Cristobal Huguet, speaking during the presentation of the analysis of the female work market in the Balearics made by his department. The Balearics is the second autonomous region with the highest employment of women in Spain (48 percent), nearly eight points higher than the national average (40.8 percent) and one point lower than Madrid (49 percent). According to the Minister, in 2005 there were 21'968 new jobs created, of which 11'591 were filled by women and 10'377 by men. This brings the number of employed women in the Balearics to 178'751. The leading position which women have in employment is not new. During the last five years 52'179 jobs have been created in the islands, of which 63 percent (32'873) have been taken by women, said Huguet. “We are very proud of the important role which women play in the job market in the islands”, he said after recognising that the majority of jobs which women do are not the best paid or most skilled. The deputy head of the Centre for Studies and Operations department, Antonia Puigros, said that the “high figure” for female employment was consistent with the “great weight” the Balearic service sector carried in relation to the other autonomous regions. The inequality between men and women in skilled jobs extends to the rest of Spain. In the Balearics, the number of women in management jobs (7.5 percent of the total of employed women) is two points above the national level (5.5 percent). However, the number of women in technical jobs (highest job before management) is 10 percent in the Balearics as opposed to 16 percent in the rest of Spain. On the other hand, in spite of the high number of women in jobs, unemployment continues to affect more women (55 percent of unemployed people) than men. Also, there was a slight increase in female unemployment (0.2 percent) in 2005.