There has been a further fall in the number of mothers in the home, according to the latest CSO figures.

The latest Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) shows there were 480,000 women engaged in home duties in the first quarter of this year, down from 516,000 compared to the first quarter of last year, a fall of over 30,000.

In the first quarter of 2011, there were 520,000 women who listed their Principal Economic Status (PES) as “home duties”.  

The report also gives details of the number of women working full-time and part-time.

There were 545,200 women working fulltime in the first quarter of this year, and 308,800 were working part time, with 71pc of the part-time workers saying they don’t want to work more hours.

By comparison, there were 145,600 men working part time, with nearly half of these, 67,300 saying they were underemployed.  

The figure for the number of women working in the home revealed by the QHNS differs sharply from the figure shown in Census 2011.

According to Census 2011 there were 321,300 women at home full-time in that year, a difference of almost 200,000 compared with the QHNS figure.

According to the CSO, the reason for the significant discrepancy is the method by which both surveys are carried out.

Whereas the Census involves filling out a form, the QNHS is a face to face interview carried out with a sample of the population.