An NCB Stockbrokers report published today says women’s participation in the Irish workplace has increased considerably over the past 10 years.
The report, "Women, The Economy and The Stockmarket," is based on a detailed analysis of labour force data for the Irish economy over the past decade.
"Female participation in the Irish workplace has increased by 60 per cent over the past 10 years with women accounting for nearly two-thirds of the total increase in the labour force", says Mr Dermot O'Brien, chief economist at NCB and co-author of the report.
"Importantly, 35 per cent of female employment is at the higher paid managerial and professional level", he said.
The increasing participation of Irish women in the workforce - along with changes in household composition, family law, personal taxation and pensions legislation - means women are now in command of increasing wealth from growing financial independence.
This increased wealth and independence will mean women will become a significant investor base in Ireland in the future, the report says.
"We looked at the experience in the US where women command a significant proportion of the overall pool of personal wealth," Ms Jane Riordan, research manager at NCB said.
"As Ireland is likely to follow the same trend we expect women will take an increasingly active role in the investment decision making process".