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The number of women resigning from their jobs in local government has more than doubled, according to a new survey. The figures released by the Chartered Management Institute and Renumeration Economics revealed that resignation rates for women in local government for the year to January 2007 stood at 9.7%, compared to 4% for the previous 12 months. The results are from an annual survey of more than 42,000 people across a variety of sectors. The resignation rate for men in local government was 2.4%, while the national average for women across all sectors was 7.8%. But, according to the survey, the average female team leader is five years younger than her male equivalent. Unison's head of local government, Heather Wakefield, said: ‘These figures reflect a sad, but hardly surprising, situation that female workers are contemplating quitting council work in droves. ‘With pay falling behind the rise in living and housing costs, female workers are finding it increasingly unsustainable to work for councils. ‘These trends are not just sad personal stories, but leave practical problems such as the loss of valuable experience, knowledge and service continuity to the local community, if the cases are not addressed.' But Hertfordshire CC chief executive Caroline Tapster said the figures showed there were more opportunities for women in the modern labour market. ‘I don't think we should read negative connotations into this,' said Ms Tapster. ‘This demonstrates the changes there have been in local government culture. ‘Skills are more transferable and it's now possible for women to move on more freely in the job market. ‘It's now possible to come into local government with a particular professional background and then go on to do something completely different.'

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Women leavers double

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