EU (European Union) countries report that 46% of their labour force is female. The United Nations wants to determine if the percentage of females in the Canadian labour force is the same. Representatives from Statistics Canada plan to check a random sample of over 10,000 employment records on file to estimate the percentage of females in the Canadian labour force. Statistics Canada wants to estimate the percentage of females in the Canadian labour force to within 5%, with 90% confidence.

They actually select a random sample of 525 employment records, and find that 229 of the people are females. Construct the 90% confidence interval. Interpret the confidence interval in this context.

Should representatives from Statistics Canada conclude that the percentage of females in the Canadian labour force is lower than European rate of 46%? Explain.