WOMEN have always known it, but now it is official - they really are the driving force behind Southampton's buoyant economy.

Latest figures show that the number of women at work in Southampton is now more than the number of men.

There are now 56,688 women employed full-time and part- time in the city, making up 50.9 per cent of the workforce.

That compares with 54,637 male colleagues (49.1 per cent).

The figures, released by the general union GMB, provide a snapshot of the changing way we live and work in the 21st century, with record employment levels.

However, it is against a backdrop of hefty mortgages and rents, expensive childcare and other social trends, such as more women choosing the freedom of a single life. It is a far cry from the 1950s, when housewives were expected to stay at home as domestic goddesses and have an evening meal ready on the table for their husbands. However, there is a sting in the tail - men in Southampton are paid £2.57 an hour more compared to women, even though the Equal Pay Act came into force 35 years ago.

As previously reported by the Daily Echo, the men take home an average £12.05 an hour, compared to £9.48 for women.

Dawn Butler, GMB national organiser, said: "Women outnumber men at work in 99 out of 203 areas in Britain, including Southampton, but are paid up to 25 per cent less then men."

She added: "We expect the trend of more women working to continue. A lot of women are single, or are going out to work to support themselves.

"Some have children to support or a large mortgage, or maybe their weekly expenditure and mortgage require two incomes - it's a case of having to keep the wolf from the door.

"Women are making up a larger proportion of the workforce, right across the professions."

A note of caution has been struck by Southampton's army of women employees.

One of them, 32-year-old Paula Quigley, who works part-time for public relations agency Harrison Cowley in Southampton, warned that there is no let-up once they arrive home.

Paula, from near Winchester, who has two children aged one and four, said: "It's a constant juggling act, and I couldn't do what I do without our extended family - my mother, mother-in-law and father-in-law."

Paula, whose husband Chris works full-time, added: "The results of the survey are fantastic, but it would be interesting to see if the glass ceiling for women does exist, as women tend to take career breaks when they have children, with more men in senior positions."

The GMB's figures tally with those from the Office of National Statistics. A spokes-man there said: "We certainly have more females in our headcount by quite a significant margin."

Southampton ranked seventh out of 19 in the south-east region in the GMB table, with the Isle of Wight topping it.

The Island has 27,425 women workers (55.6 per cent), compared to 21,937 men (44.4 per cent).

If women want to be outnumbered by men in the office or factory, they need to go to Slough, which is ranked bottom with 55.9 per cent of the workforce male.

WHY THOSE BILLS ADD UP:

Full-time nursery fees for five days for one child - about £205

Average weekly household expenditure in Hampshire - about £443

First-time buyers in Southampton would need to earn £36,000 a year just to afford a no-frills terraced house, but the average salary of a worker here is £25,480.