Three-quarters of Oz women are couch potatoes while many feel rushed

Melbourne: A major report has revealed that a huge proportion of Australian women lead couch potato lives while many feel rushed or pressed for time trying to balance work and family. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics report, about three-quarters of adult women are sedentary or do little exercise, the Herald Sun reported. The proportion of women admitting to sedentary lives has increased from 73.7 percent in 2001 to more than 76 percent in 2007-08, the report said. The situation is not much better for young females as about two-thirds of girls aged 15-17 were sedentary or did very little exercise, compared with half of all boys in the same age group. But men are more likely to be obese and they have higher rates of dangerous drinking and serious psychological stress. The landmark report, Gender Indicators Australia, looks at the differences between the sexes in areas including health, economic security, education and work and family balance. Women have a higher life expectancy of 84 years, but male life expectancy has risen at a greater rate over the past decade to reach 79 years, the report said. Women earn on average 11 per cent less per hour than men, but they spend almost double the time on unpaid work, such as household chores and minding children. ANI