Figures from the Office for National Statistics show the employment rate for women with dependant children in England is 74% and the employment rate for women with dependant children in Oldham is 56.6% almost a quarter lower than the England average. In Rochdale the rate is 59.4%, Manchester 65.2%, Bolton 69.3%, Tameside 69.8%, Salford 74.1%, Bury 75.8%, Trafford 77%, Wigan 78.6% and Stockport 80.1%. Since 2010, the employment rate for women with children in England has been higher than for women without, in Oldham the opposite is now true and a higher percentage of women without children are employed. We are constantly bombarded with outrage at the amount of foodbank usage in Oldham but absolutely no political or charitable body will be honest about what drives poverty in Oldham. We revealed only a few weeks ago that a lower percentage of children in Oldham live in households where all adults work than in every other UK area other than three London boroughs. You can read the ONS release and download the data here.
