Long-term sickness pushing more women to leave work

Long-term sickness has become the leading reason for women to leave the labour market, new research has found.

- MAYA OPPENHEIM

A study by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) said the top reason for women not working used to be caring responsibilities for children and relatives, but ill health has now overtaken this.

The union attributed the sharp rise in women experiencing long-term sickness to “overstretched” public services, surging NHS waiting lists, and low-paid, precarious work damaging women’s physical and mental health. The study discovered that the number of women not working due to long-term sickness is rising at a far higher rate than it is for male workers.

Researchers found that the number of women out of work due to long-term sickness has soared by 48 per cent to hit 1.54 million workers over the last five years – surging by more than 500,000 to the highest number since records started. The study, which examined data between the end of 2018 and the end of 2023, found that the number of men out of work due to long-term sickness had surged by 37 per cent during this period.