You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The graphs below show the percentage of men and women aged 60-64 who were employed in four countries in 1970 and 2000. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Model Answer
The given column graphs compare the percentages of employed males and females in four countries namely – Belgium, the USA, Japan and Indonesia in 1970 and 2000. It is manifest from the graph that in both the given years more males were employed than females.
In 1970, the USA had the highest employment rate with 86% males and 78% females doing jobs. Indonesia came in second with 84 and 65% employed men and women respectively. 79% Belgian males and 64% females were working in 1970. The lowest employment rate was in Japan, where 76% males and only 56% females were employed.
In 2000, the percentage of men and women employed was far lesser than that in 1970 in all the four given countries. In USA, the percentage of employed males and females fell by 8% and 33% respectively from the figures of 1970. Indonesia also witnessed a decrease in employment among men and women by 10 and 15% respectively. In Japan the percentage of employed men and women dropped by 13% and 9% respectively. 27% lesser Belgian men were employed in 2000. The biggest brunt of recession was faced by the Belgian women, with the figures falling from 63% in 1970 to 8% in 2000.
Overall, the year 2000 witnessed a period of recession in all the four given countries, but the Belgian and the American women were the worst hit.