The two bar charts illustrate the employment percentages for men and women across three countries – Australia, Japan, and Ireland – in two separate years, 2005 and 2015.
Overall, a gender gap in employment was evident in all three nations, with male rates consistently higher than female rates. Japan maintained the highest percentage of employed men in both years. Conversely, all three countries experienced an increase in female employment over the decade, with Australia seeing the most significant rise.
In 2005, Japan had the highest male employment rate at approximately 75%, followed by Ireland at close to 70%. Australia recorded the lowest figure for men at about 62%. Ten years later, the male employment rates for Australia and Ireland both saw an increase, reaching 70%. However, the rate for Japanese men slightly declined to around 70%, matching the other two countries in 2015.
The data for women reveals lower figures. In 2005, the percentage of employed women was highest in Ireland, at 45%. Australia followed with a rate of 38%, while Japan had the lowest figure, at just 30%. By 2015, all female employment rates had risen significantly. The proportion of employed women in Australia jumped sharply to 55%, making it the highest among the three. Ireland’s figure rose to 50%, and the female rate in Japan also increased to 35% in 2015.