1

Results from the Survey of Working Women

Factors that Affect Women’s Career 

Decisions

In 1993, the Women’s Bureau conducted the 

first large-scale, nationally representative 

survey about working women’s employment 

challenges and concerns. Since then, economic 

and social forces have continued to alter the 

landscape for working women and households 

have become increasingly reliant on women’s 

economic contributions.

i

Additionally, there 

have been important developments in women’s 

educational attainment, wage disparity, family 

structure, and technology .

ii In light of these 

changes, in 2016 the Women’s Bureau 

conducted the Survey of Working Women to 

identify the employment challenges today’s 

working women confront, and to examine how 

these issues relate to their job and career 

decisions—in particular, women’s reasons for 

exiting the labor force.

The survey collected information on work and 

family situations for 2,713 respondents. Gallup

conducted household-based telephone

interviews with 1,202 working women over age 

18; 499 low-income working women over age 

18; 508 women ages 24 to 54 who left the labor 

force and remained out of the labor force at the 

time of the survey; and 504 working men over 

age 18. The survey oversampled low-income 

women, as they may have challenges and 

experiences that differ from those of other 

working women. Men were included as an 

important comparison group. The survey was 

weighted to reflect the differential sampling 

rates of these groups.

The survey results show that women are more 

likely than men to leave the labor force. 

However, temporary labor force exits are

common for all groups of workers. One 

important phenomenon that warrants further 

study is “off-ramping” (here defined as leaving 

the labor force for three months or more,

1

but 

eventually returning). Nearly 40 percent of 

working women off-ramped at some point in 

their careers, as did about one in four men. 

 

1

including stopping work due to retirement.
2

Figure 1. Percent of working women, low 

income working women, and working men 

who ever left the labor force for more than 3 

months

Source: US Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau, 2016 

Survey of Working Women

Both men and women indicated that they offramped primarily for employer initiated 

separations or for personal or family reasons2. 

Women were more likely to cite personal or 

family reasons, while men were more likely to 

cite employer initiated separations for offramping. Working women were four times as 

likely to cite a personal or family reason for offramping than they were to cite employerinitiated separation. Meanwhile, men’s reasons 

were more evenly distributed between personal 

or family and employer-initiated separations. 

Low-income women primarily cited family and 

personal reasons for off-ramping, but were 

more likely than working women overall to cite 

an employer initiated separation. This may 

reflect higher rates of disability, unemployment, 

and turnover in low-wage jobs.

Figure 2. Percent of working women, low 

income working women, and working men 

selecting a family and personal reason or an 

employer initiated separation for off-ramping 

 

2

Personal and family reasons exclude retirement 

and disability.

Source: US Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau, 2016 

Survey of Working Women

Among survey respondents who off-ramped

women for personal or family reasons, women

were nearly twice as likely as men to report 

leaving to care for family members. About 61 

percent of women indicated that taking care of 

a family member was an important reason for 

their departure, compared with 31 percent of 

men. In contrast, 55 percent of working men 

selected a personal medical reason or pursuit of 

additional education as a reason for offramping, compared with 42 percent of women. 

More than one-third of women who off-ramped 

to care for a family member cited the cost of 

childcare as an important reason for leaving the 

labor force. 

Not only are women more likely to leave the 

labor force to care for family members, they are 

also more likely to pass up promotions or ask 

for reduced responsibilities at work. Married 

mothers of young children are especially likely 

to pass up promotion opportunities. Married 

women were nearly twice as likely as single 

women to turn down a promotion or ask for 

reduced responsibilities. 

Figure 3. Percent of working women, low 

income working women, and working men 

who turned down a promotion or asked for 

reduced work responsibilities to care for a 

family member

Source: US Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau, 2016 

Survey of Working Women

38%

33%

26%

Working women

Low income

working women

Working men

81%

73%

54%

19%

27%

46%

Working women

Low income working

women

Working men

Personal or family reasons

Employer initiated separation

24%

26%

18%

Working women

Low income working

women

Working men
3

Figure 4. Percent of working women who 

turned down a promotion or asked for reduced 

work responsibilities to care for a family 

member by marital status

Source: US Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau, 2016 

Survey of Working Women

Mothers of children under age 5 were the most 

likely to pass up promotions. Forty-three 

percent stated that they had done so, 

compared with 33 percent of women with 

children under age 18 and 17 percent of women 

without children. Fathers were also more likely 

to pass up promotions than men without 

children. However, the age of the child did not 

make much of a difference: about 23 percent of 

fathers with children under 5, and 25 percent of 

fathers with children under 18 passed up a 

promotion or asked for reduced responsibilities. 

This is twice as high as men without children: 12 

percent. Yet in every category, women were 

more likely than men to pass up promotion 

opportunities or ask for reduced 

responsibilities. 

Figure 5. Percent of working women and men 

who turned down a promotion or asked for 

reduced work responsibilities to care for a 

family member by presence and age of 

children

Source: US Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau, 2016 

Survey of Working Women

Retaining women at work is an important 

economic concern. To understand what men 

and women value in their decision to take a job, 

the survey asked women to reflect on which job 

characteristics were important to them in 

choosing their most recent job. The most 

important reason cited by all workers was 

feeling that they would be good at the job. 

Many also wanted to have a job they felt 

passionate about. However, work schedule was 

a more important consideration for women, 

particularly women with young children. Nearly 

4 in 5 stated that the days or hours they were 

required to work was an important 

consideration in selecting their most recent job. 

Mothers of young children were also more 

likely to cite as important considerations the 

job’s amount of paid time off and the job’s 

reputation for being family friendly. Men were 

more likely to cite a job’s opportunities for 

advancement and earnings potential as 

important considerations. 

15%

29%

23%

21%

19%

Single/Never married

Married

Divorced

Widowed

Domestic

partnership/Living with a

partner

43%

23%

33%

25%

17%

12%

Women with children

under 5

Men with children under 5

Women with children

under 18

Men with children under

18

Women with no children

under 18

Men with no children

under 18
4

Figure 6. Importance of select job characteristics when selecting their most recent job

Source: US Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau, 2016 Survey of Working Women

Overall, this survey shows that men and women value being engaged with their work. However, offramping remains a common experience among men and women. Women are more likely to exit the 

labor force for family reasons, while men are more evenly divided in off-ramping for medical or 

educational reasons and family responsibilities. Having schedules that improve work-life fit and allow for 

better balancing of work, personal, and family responsibilities is a viable path to increasing the retention 

of men and women at work, as work schedule was one of the most important factor in job selection for 

most workers. Over a third of workers also cited availability of paid family and medical leave and paid 

time off as important qualities they looked for in a job. Provision of childcare and childcare subsidies 

may also improve retention or enable parents to return to work, as over a third of working women cited 

the cost of childcare as a reason for off-ramping. This survey provides valuable information to employers 

and policymakers to design solutions for the common issues facing today’s working families. 

The Survey of Working Women provides valuable information to employers and policymakers to design 

solutions for the common issues facing today’s working families. The survey results help elucidate the 

issue of workforce off-ramping and the effect of caregiving on careers. But there is much more to 

research and understand about men and women’s workforce interruptions including the long term 

financial ramifications to the workers as well the experience of on-ramping back into the labor force. 

 

i

U.S. Department of Labor, “Working Mother Issue Brief.” 2016.

https://www.dol.gov/wb/resources/WB_WorkingMothers_508_FinalJune13.pdf

ii Mateyka, Peter J., Melanie A. Rapino, and Liana Christin Landivar. 2012. “Home-Based Workers in the United 

States.” Current Population Reports, P70-132. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau.

Ryan, Camille L. and Kurt Bauman. 2016. “Educational Attainment in the United States: 2015.” Current Population 

Reports P20-578. Issued March. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau.

Vespa, Jonathan, Jaime M. Lewis, and Rose M. Kreider. 2013. “America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2012.” 

Population Characteristics P20-570. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau.