these include the belief that women are much better placed than men to take care of children or that the family might be harmed if mothers work outside the home economic and sociological insights on the persistence of gender differences in wellbeing outcomes are also discussed where relevant the analysis presented in this section covers gender issues across the life cycle from school to the start of a new family and the entry into the labour market to later life and considers both economic income wages occupation and social health education social relations outcomes there are significant differences amongst women and men that may be greater than differences between the two sexes