High rate of female unemployment
Unemployment now stands at 2.5 million after falling for much of 2010.
Analysis by the TUC union shows that unemployment rates among young women have risen much faster than men over the past two years.
With women over-represented in many of the public sector jobs vulnerable to government spending cuts in the coming months, the plight of young women could get far worse.
Karen Mattison is CEO and co-founder of Women Like Us - a recruitment agency that places women in jobs that fit in with their family lives. She told the BBC that businesses are starting to recognise the benefits of having part time workers.
16 Feb 2011