12 December 2014

MEDIA RELEASE Embargo: 11.30 am (Canberra time)

178/2014

Mums that had higher levels of education are much more likely to have a job than less educated mothers, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

"More than three-quarters of mothers with degrees were working," said Myles Burleigh from the ABS, "compared to less than half the mothers whose highest school level was Year 11 or below."

"Overall, women were slightly more likely than men to have a degree - one in four women compared to one in five men.

"However, men were almost twice as likely as women to report their highest level of educational attainment as a Certificate III or IV."

The survey also found that nearly three million Australians over 15 were studying, with about 1.2 million students in university.

"For 2013's school leavers, just over half enrolled in formal study in May, with most of those going to university."

"For those that didn't go onto further study, more than half had found jobs, and the majority of those people were working part time," said Mr Burleigh.

Further details are available in Education and Work, Australia, May 2014 (cat. no. 6227.0), available for free download from the ABS website (www.abs.gov.au).

Media notes:

• Degree refers to Bachelor degree or higher.
• Mother refers to a women with one or more children under the age of 15.
• When reporting ABS data, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or ABS) must be attributed as the source.
• Media requests and interviews - contact the ABS Communications Section on 1300 175 070.