New data show that the proportion of women classified as “economically inactive” because they look after family or home is at its lowest level on record. In the first quarter of this year, 24.8% of the 5.3 million women in this group are out of the workplace for home and family reasons. The figures indicate the share has fallen sharply since 1993, nearly halving over the period covered by the reporting. The reports frame the change as a long-term shift away from women being out of work specifically to provide unpaid care at home, suggesting that fewer women are in the economically inactive category for these reasons than in previous decades. The articles do not provide detailed breakdowns by age or region in the excerpt provided, but they describe both the overall size of the group (5.3 million women) and the latest quarter’s percentage that are outside paid employment for caring responsibilities. The reporting also emphasizes that the current quarter represents the lowest proportion recorded.