INSECURE zero hours WORK in public sector Dominated by WOMEN

​By Pravin Jeyaraj

There are significantly more women than men stuck on zero hours contracts in the public sector, according to research published by Zero Hours Justice on International Women's Day.

Over the past 12 months, we have sent our Freedom of Information requests to all universities, local authorities and NHS trusts and organisations. Out of 798 organisations contacted, 733 responded, a response rate of 92%.

The data reveals that, for universities and local authorities, there are almost twice as many organisations where women on zero hours contracts outnumber men.  ​

Universities	Number of organisations
More men than women	24
More women than men	47
No zero hours contracts or data not available	69

​Source: Zero Hours Justice

Local authorities	Number of organisations
More men than women	75
More women than men	143
No zero hours contracts or data not available	166

​Source: Zero Hours Justice

For NHS employers, there are four times as many organisations where there are more women on zero hours contracts, compared men.

NHS Employers	Number of organisations
More men than women	32
More women than men	128
No zero hours contracts or data not available	108

​Source: Zero Hours Justice

Our research reflects the Office for National Statistics' Labour Force Survey, which shows that 3.3% of women in employment are on zero hours contract, compared to 2.7% of men.