How dangerous is it to be a working man?

Update 23rd Aug 2013:

"In 2010–11, 203 of the 220 (92%) workers killed were men. This is the lowest number since the series began."(source)

Of people employed in the Construction industry in 2010-11 88% were males. Other male dominated industries include Mining (85% of the work force was male), Transport, Postal and Warehousing (78%), Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services (77%), and Manufacturing (74%).

Of people employed in the Construction industry in 2010-11 88% were males. Other male dominated industries include Mining (85% of the work force was male), Transport, Postal and Warehousing (78%), Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services (77%), and Manufacturing (74%). (source)



Construction  23 
Education & training 3

"The total number of Construction Workers in employment over the past 5 years for male and female, employed part-time and full-time is 4,600

Gender (including full time and part time)

The percentage of males and females working full time and part time are:

• Male Full Time: 83.8%
• Male Part Time: 14.2%
• Female Full Time: 0.5%
• Female Part Time: 1.4%"
  
  (source)

"NUMBER OF SCHOOL TEACHERS(a)

---

				2002
				Teachers
				'000
Primary				114.4
Secondary				110.9
Government				153.0
Non-government				72.4

"
(source)

Now, this is old data, but it seems reasonable that there's unlikely to be much less than the sum of these, i.e. 451,000.

I cannot find equivalent figures for construction workers. I've sent in a request to the ABS but they do charge and I'm a pensioner, so if they say "not without mucho denarii!", I shall have to go by the figure quoted above (4,600). If this is wrong, well, please post a link to the ABS proving it.

Of course the complication is then that, while few people are construction workers, the industry is gigantic - 984,100 persons

This of course would completely alter the percentage fatalities. Without more info, I can't prove it but it would seem absurd that a school teacher is facing the same level of threat as a construction worker.

Sigh! Will have to remain in limbo unless I can get a response.

Hmm, <hr> has been deprecated.

Just imagine there's a horizontal line here

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The Gender Gap

Often I will hear the phrase "women are only paid 50% of what men are!" or other similar figure.

I'll ask if they mean for the same job,
they'll say yes,

for the same hours,
of course!

How do you know?
Someone told me and I trust them!
 
And at that point I'll ask for a reference, and people generally get angry. I'm doubting them. They don't understand the importance of knowing how to check your facts.

If I'm lucky, someone will quote a source like this.

Gender pay gap statistics

"A number of often interrelated factors contribute to the gender pay gap including: women working in different industries than men"

Which is, of course, deliberately avoiding the point. Why on earth would comparing people working different industries be relevant for determining if there was some injustice?

" it gives us a value that is comparing like with like"


No, it gives us a value that compares apples and oranges whilst telling you it's some magic apples that are somehow equivalent to oranges if you truly believe. It's bunk.

If people from a Greek background prefer IT and people from Italian backgrounds preferred manufacturing, it wouldn't mean anything but that was their preferences; no evil Illuminati is required to sit in the shadows, checking their ethnicity before assigning them a career! If manufacturing is paid better, then more Greeks will be wealthy, and vice versa, all without a racist ever being present.