Z. 3-3? 33SS

Working Women

A Chartbook

U.S. Department of Labor

Bureau of Labor Statistics

August 1991

Bulletin 2385

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Working Women:

A Chartbook

U.S. Department of Labor

Lynn Martin, Secretary

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Janet L. Norwood, Commissioner

August 1991

Bulletin 2385

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Foreword

Today, more women—and mothers—are in the labor force than ever before. Women make up

significant proportions of workers in a broad and growing range of occupations and industries.

They are staying in the labor force longer and are earning more than ever before.

Asa primary source of data on women in the labor market, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has

been tracking the profound changes in women’s labor force participation for the past three decades.

During this time, the Bureau has published many reports and introduced several new data series

that have helped measure different aspects of women’s labor force participation, the progress

they have made, and the problems they face.

As the 20th century nears its end, it is appropriate to take stock of the status of working women.

With pictures, words, and numbers, this chartbook summarizes the main characteristics of women

in the labor market today and the changes that have occurred in the recent past. And, it provides

us with a reference point from which we can observe and analyze the changes in the economic

role of women that the approaching century is sure to bring.

Janet L. Norwood

Commisioner of Labor Statistics

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Preface

This chartbook presents an array of data on women in the labor force, highlighting their labor

market status today and its changes over the past three decades. It is the latest ofseveral databooks

and chartbooks on women issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The chartbook is divided into four sections. The first summarizes the current labor market

situation of women and the major trends in their labor force activity over the past 30 years. The

second section examines the employment characteristics of women, including their occupational

patterns and earnings. The third section focuses on unemployment, and the fourth provides a

glimpse of the family dimension of their labor force participation.

A special feature of this chartbook is that each chart has a companion table that can be found

in appendix A. These tables were designed to supplement the information contained in the charts,

helping to place them in a broader social and economic context. Appendix B provides information about the sources of the data for the charts and tables and definitions of basic labor force

concepts. Appendix C lists several additional BLS sources on women.

This chartbook was prepared in the Division of Labor Force Statistics, Office of Employment

and Unemployment Statistics, by Howard V. Hayghe and Stella W. Cromartie under the direction of Harvey R. Hamel. Valuable assistance was provided by the staffs of the Data Users and

Publications Services Group and the Data Development Staff, also of the Office of Employment

and Unemployment Statistics. Keith Tapscott of the Division of Production Services, Office of

Publications, was responsible for the overall design of the publication.

i

Material in this publication is in the public domain and may, with appropriate credit, be reproduced

vithout permission.

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Contents

Section I:

Chart 1.

Chart 2.

Chart 3.

Chart 4.

Chart 5.

Section II:

Chart 6.

Chart 7.

Overview and trends

Page

................................................................................. 1

Selected labor force indicators for women, 1990 annual averages .... 2

Labor force participation rates of adult women and men,

seasonally adjusted, 1960-90 ...................................................................... 4

Labor force participation rates of women and men by age, 1960

and 1990 annual averages.......................................................................... 6

Labor force participation rates of adult women by race and

Hispanic origin, 1973-90 annual averages.............................................. 8

Chart 8.

Chart 9.

Chart 10.

Chart 11.

Section III:

Chart 12.

Chart 13.

Chart 14.

Chart 15.

Labor force participation rates of women in nine industrialized

countries, 1990 annual averages........................................................... 10

Employment....................................................................................... 11

Employment growth among women and all civilian workers,

1960-90 annual averages........................................................................ 12

Employed adult women by full- or part-time status, 1990 annual

averages...................................................................................................... 14

Occupational distribution of employed women, 1990 annual

averages....................................................................................................... 16

Women as a proportion of total employed persons in selected

occupations, 1972 and 1990 annual averages..................................... 18

Women as a proportion of wage and salary workers on nonfarm

payrolls by industry, 1990 annual averages....................................... 20

Ratio of women’s-to-men’s median weekly earnings for full-time

wage and salary workers by age, 1979 and 1990 annual

averages....................................................................................................... 22

Unemployment................................................................................. 23

Unemployment rates for adult women and men, seasonally

adjusted, 1960-90 ..................................................................................... 24

Unemployment rates for women by age, 1990 annual averages .... 26

Unemployment rates for women by race and Hispanic origin,

1990 annual averages............................................................................... 28

Unemployment rates for women by household relationship,

1990 annual averages............................................................................... 30

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Contents—Continued

Section IV:

Chart 16.

Chart 17.

Chart 18.

Appendixes:

Family aspects................................................................................. 31

Labor force status of women 25 to 54 years, 1962 and 1990

annual averages......................................................................................... 32

Percent of married-couple families with both husband and wife

in the labor force, March, selected years, 1960-90......................... 34

Labor force participation rates of mothers by age of youngest

child, March 1975 and March 1990 .................................................... 36

A. Supplementary tables........................................................................................... 37

B. Sources and concepts........................................................................................... 51

C. Where to find additional BLS data on women ................................................ 53

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Section I: Overview and Trends

Women play an important role in

the labor market

• Women accounted for 45 percent of

both the employed and unemployed

in the United States in 1990. Of all

full-time workers—that is, persons

who work 35 hours or more a

week—41 percent are women.

• A little over half the workers in 

professional specialty occupations are

women, as are 40 percent of those

in managerial jobs.

• About 4 out of 5 workers in

administrative support jobs (clerical,

secretarial, etc.) are women.

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Chart 1.

Selected labor force indicators

for women, 1990 annual

averages

Women as a proportion of...

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Adult women’s labor force

participation has risen

dramatically

• The proportion of adult women (20

years old and over) working or

looking for work rose from about 38

percent in 1960 to nearly 60 percent

in 1990. Over the same period, the

participation rate for men, while

remaining above that for women, has

declined.

• As a result, the gap between adult

men’s and women’s labor force

participation rates has narrowed

substantially. In 1960, there was a

46 percentage-point difference

between the two groups; in 1990, it

was just 20 points.

• During the 1980’s, the number of

adult women in the labor force grew

by about 1.2 million a year, on

average, as the post-World

War II baby-boom generation

completed its entry into the labor

force. This rate of growth has

slowed somewhat since mid-1990,

partly because of the recent

recession’s effect on job opportunities. However, even after the

current recession ends, it is

anticipated that labor force growth

among women will continue to be

slower than in recent decades,

because fewer will be entering the

age groups where labor force

participation is highest.

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SESFdgSSHS

Chart 2.

Labor force participation rates of

adult women and men, seasonally

adjusted, 1960-90

Percent Percent

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990

NOTE: Shaded areas represent recessions.

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The pattern of women’s labor

force participation rates by age

is becoming more like men’s

• In 1960, the impact of marriage and

motherhood on the labor force

participation rates of women was

strikingly evident. The participation

rate reached its initial peak among

women ages 20 to 24, dropped

sharply for those 25 to 34, rose to a

second, higher peak for women ages

45 to 54, and then gradually

declined, assuming the classic letterM shape.

• Reflecting the profound changes in

women’s roles that have taken place

in our society, this pattern was no

longer evident in 1990. Instead,

women’s labor force participation rate

pattern has now come to resemble

men’s (an inverted letter U).

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Chart 3.

Labor force participation rates of

women and men by age, 1960

and 1990 annual averages

Percent

100

Percent

100

90

80

70-

60

50

40

30-

20-

10-

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

-20

10

16 20 25 35 45 55 65

to to to to to to and

19 24 34 44 54 64 over

Age

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White women are now almost as

likely to be in the labor force as

black women

• Over the last two decades, the

historical gap between the labor

force participation rates for adult

white women and black women

nearly closed. In 1973, 44 percent of

white women were labor force

participants, compared with 52

percent of black women. By 1990,

these proportions had grown to 58

and 60 percent, respectively.

• The labor force participation rate of

Hispanic women also rose on a

sustained basis during the 1970’s and

1980’s. However, they remain less

likely than their white or black

counterparts to be in the labor force.

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Chart 4.

Labor force participation rates of

adult women by race and

Hispanic origin, 1973-90

annual averages

Percent Percent

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American women are among the

most likely to be labor force

participants

• In 1990, U.S. women ranked near

the top among those in nine industrialized countries in the extent of

their labor force participation; only

Swedish and Canadian women were

more likely to be in the labor force.

Over the past two decades, the

participation-rate gap between U.S.

and Swedish women narrowed.

During the same period, the rate for

Canadian women grew rapidly and

now surpasses that of U.S. women

by a narrow margin.

• Other countries that have shown

notable gains in women’s labor force

participation since 1970 include

Australia, the United Kingdom, and

the Netherlands.

• Only about 30 percent of Italian

women were in the labor force in 

1990, the smallest proportion of the

nine countries for which data were

available.

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Chart 5.

Labor force participation rates of

women in nine industrialized

countries, 1990 annual averages

NOTE: Data for the Netherlands are for 1988, the latest available.

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Section II: Employment

The number of employed women

more than doubled over the past

three decades

• In the past three decades, the

number of employed women more

than doubled, rising from 21.9

million in 1960 to 53.5 million by

1990. They accounted for 60 percent

of the total increase in employment

over the period, as their share of

employment grew from 33 to 45

percent.

• As the post-World War II babyboom generation matured, the

number of employed women ages 25

to 34 nearly quadrupled, rising from

3.9 million in 1960 to 15.1 million

in 1990. Employment growth among

women 35 to 44 years old was also

substantial, from 5 million to 14

million.

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Chart 6.

Employment growth among

women and all civilian workers,

1960-90 annual averages

Millions Millions

1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988

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Three out of four employed adult

women work full time

• In 1990, 77 percent of employed

adult women (20 years and over)

worked full time, that is, 35 hours

or more a week. Moreover, about

80 percent of those who were

unemployed were looking for fulltime jobs. Among adult men, 93

percent of the employed were fulltime workers and an equal proportion of the unemployed were

looking for full-time work.

• Although the proportion of adult

women who were full-time workers

has varied little over time, their

number has nearly doubled since

1970.

• More and more, women are working

all year at full-time jobs. Between

1970 and 1989—the latest year for

which such data are available—the

proportion of employed women who

worked year round, full time, rose

10 percentage points to 51 percent.

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Chart 7.

Employed adult women by fullor part-time status, 1990 annual

averages

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Despite sharp growth in the

number of women employed in

professional occupations,

significant proportions still work

in clerical and service jobs.

• In 1990, about 59 percent of

employed women worked in just

three broad occupational groups—

sales, administrative support

(clerical), and services. Eighteen

years earlier, the proportion was 64

percent.

• Over the same period, women made

important gains in managerial and

professional occupations. The

proportion working in executive,

administrative, or managerial

occupations increased from 5 percent

in 1972 to 11 percent in 1990, while

the proportion in professional

specialty occupations rose from 12 to 

15 percent.

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Chart 8.

Occupational distribution of

employed women, 1990 annual

averages

Percent

100 n

0 J

90 -

80-

70 -

60 -

50-

40 -

30 -

20-

10-

Executive, administrative,

and managerial

Professional specialty

Technicians and related support

Sales

Administrative support,

including clerical

Services

Precision production, craft, and repair

Operators, fabricators, and laborers

Farming, forestry, and fishing

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Women’s share of employment

is growing in many

nontraditional occupations

• Between 1972 and 1990, the

proportion of lawyers who were

women rose dramatically, from only

4 percent to 21 percent. In 1990,

19 percent of physicians were

women, nearly double their 1972

proportion.

• Substantial gains in women’s share

of employment also occurred in 

other occupations where they had

long been underrepresented. For

instance, 56 percent of bartenders

were women in 1990, double the

proportion in 1972. Over the same

period, their proportion of bus

drivers increased from 34 to 52

percent.

• While women rapidly entered many

occupations previously dominated by

men, men did not enter the so-called

traditional “women’s” occupations

in significant numbers. Thus, job

categories such as nursing or

secretarial work remained

overwhelmingly female.

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Chart 9.

Women as a proportion of total

employed persons in selected

occupations, 1972 and 1990

annual averages

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Women work in all

sectors of the economy

• Women make up the majority of

employees in a broad range of major

industry groups. For instance, a little

over half the employees in retail

trade and government are women, as 

are about three-fifths of those in

finance, insurance, and real estate,

and services.

• At the other end of the spectrum,

women account for only 11 percent

of the employees in construction and

14 percent of those in mining.

• Among specific industries, women

account for about three-fourths of

the workers employed in apparel and

accessory stores and in hospitals and

other health services.

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Chart 10.

Women as a proportion of wage

and salary workers on nonfarm

payrolls by industry, 1990 annual

averages

100

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Women’s weekly earnings now

average 72 percent of men’s

• In 1979, women working full time in

wage and salary jobs had median

weekly earnings that were 63 percent

of men’s. By 1990, the ratio had

risen to 72 percent.

• Increases in the women’s-to-men’s

earnings ratio have occurred across

all age groups but have been greatest

for younger women. For example, in

1979, the ratio among 16- to 24-

year-olds was 79 percent; by 1990,

it had risen to 90 percent. For 25- to

34-year-old women, median earnings

rose from 67 percent of men’s to 79

percent.

• Studies have shown that the gap in

women’s-to-men’s earnings is largely

determined by differences in

occupational employment.

Differences in the years of work

experience and the number of hours

usually worked also contribute to the

gap. Discrimination in labor market

practices may also play a role,

although it is very difficult to

measure its specific effect on the

overall earnings of large population

groups.

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Chart 11.

Ratio of women’s-to-men’s

median weekly earnings for fulltime wage and salary workers by

age, 1979 and 1990 annual

averages

and 24 34 44 54 and

over A over Age

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Section III: Unemployment

Unemployment rates for adult

women and men are not very

different

• In the 1960’s and 1970’s, the

unemployment rate for adult women

(20 years and over) was typically

higher than that for adult men. Over

those two decades, that difference

averaged 1.3 percentage points.

• During much of the 1980’s, however, the jobless rates for adult men

and women were much more

similar, as women’s labor market

activity became less intermittent.

• The 1990-91 recession caused

increased unemployment among both

women and men, but the increase

was sharper among men. In the first

quarter of 1991, the unemployment

rate for adult women was 5.5

percent, compared with 6.1 percent

for adult men.

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Chart 12.

Unemployment rates for adult

women and men, seasonally

adjusted, 1960-90

NOTE: Shaded areas represent recessions.

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Older women are less likely to

be unemployed

• Teenagers and young adults are far

more likely than older persons to be

unemployed. In 1990, the unemployment rate for 16- to 19-year-old

women was 14.7 percent, and for

20- to 24-year olds, it was 8.5

percent. In contrast, for more mature

women, those 55 to 64 years old,

the rate was just 2.8 percent.

• Differences in unemployment rates

between women and men are most

pronounced among teenagers, with

the 1990 rate for teenage males 1.6

percentage points higher than for

teenage females. The difference

narrowed to only six-tenths of a

percentage point among young

adults, and for those in the central

age group (25 to 54), jobless rates

were the same.

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Chart 13.

Unemployment rates for women

by age, 1990 annual averages

over

Age

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Black women are more likely

than either white or Hispanic

women to be unemployed

• Overall, black women are more than

twice as likely to be unemployed as 

white women. In 1990, the

unemployment rate for black women

was 10.8 percent, while that for

white women was 4.6 percent. For

Hispanic women, the rate was 8.3

percent, about halfway between the

rates for white and black women.

• The significantly higher unemployment rates for black women are

evident across all age groups. For

black teenage girls, the unemployment rate was 30 percent, more than

twice that of white teenagers, and

half again as large as that of

Hispanic teens. Even among women

25 to 54, the black-to-white ratio

was more than 2 to 1.

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Chart 14.

Unemployment rates for women

by race and Hispanic origin,

1990 annual averages

Percent

20 i

Percent

r 20

16 -

12 -

White Black Hispanic

origin

16

12

8

4

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Women maintaining families are

twice as likely as wives to be

unemployed

• In 1990, women maintaining families

(no spouse present) had an unemployment rate of 8.2 percent.

This was over twice the 3.6-percent

rate for wives and more than three

times the 2.3-percent rate for women

living alone.

• Contributing to the high unemployment rate for these women is the

fact that about a third were under 35

years old, and one-fourth had

preschool children, whose care often

conflicted with the demands of the job

market, especially when there was no

other parent present to share in the

responsibility, Moreover, a disproportionately large share of the

total was black.

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Chart 15.

Unemployment rates for women

by household relationship, 1990

annual averages

Percent

20 i

Percent

r 20

16

12- 12

8

- 4

Wives Women

who

maintain

families

Women

living

alone

Women

living

with

nonrelatives

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Section IV: Family aspects

With increasing labor force

participation, fewer women fill

the traditional full-time

housekeeping role

• In 1962, the majority of women 25

to 54 years old were keeping house

full time. Just 43 percent were

working or looking for work outside

their homes.

• These figures have changed

dramatically as women’s role in

society has changed. By 1990, about

74 percent of women 25 to 54 years

old were in the labor force, and only

about 21 percent were full-time

homemakers.

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Chart 16.

Labor force status for women 25

to 54 years, 1962 and 1990

annual averages

Others

not

in labor

force

1962

Others

not

in labor

force

1990

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Dual-worker couples make up

over half of all married-couple

families

• Over the last three decades, the

proportion of married-couple families

where both spouses were in the

labor force almost doubled. In 1960,

28 percent of married-couple

families were dual-worker couples;

by 1990, the proportion was 54

percent.

• Over the same period, the proportion

of “traditional” families in which

the husband, but not the wife, was

in the labor force shrank from 61

percent of all married couples to just

25 percent. This was not entirely a

result of expanding labor force

activity of wives, as the proportion

of families where neither spouse was

in the labor force grew from 9 to 17

percent.

• The growth in the number and

proportion of dual-worker couples

has had a significant impact on many

areas of family life, especially

childcare. Since 1970, the proportion

of children in two-parent families

where both parents were in the labor

force grew from 36 to 61 percent.

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Chart 17.

Percent of married-couple

families with both husband and

wife in the labor force, March,

selected years, 1960-90

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More than half of mothers with

children under 2 years old are in

the labor force

• Today, the majority of mothers are

in the labor force. Their labor force

participation rates range from about

75 percent for those whose youngest

child is of school age, to 52 percent for those with children under 2.

• Up until the mid-1980’s, married

mothers with children under 2 years

old were less likely than singleparent mothers of very young

children—who were frequently the

sole support of their families—to be

labor force participants. Today,

however, the situation is reversed,

and married mothers are more likely

to be in the labor force.

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Chart 18.

Labor force participation rates of

mothers by age of youngest

child, March 1975 and March

1990

Age of child

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Appendix A. Supplementary Tables

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Table A-1. Labor force status and occupation of the employed by sex, 1990 annua! averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Total

Women Men

Number

Percent

of

total

Number

Percent

of

total

LABOR FORCE STATUS

Civilian noninstitutional population ........................................................ 188,049 98,399 52.3 89 650 47.7

Civilian labor force................................................................................ 124,787 56,554 45 3 68 234 54.7

Employed .......................................................................................... 117,914 53,479 45 4 64 435 54 6

Full-time workers............................................................................. 97,994 40,011 40.8 54,982 59.2

Unemployed........................................................................................ 6,874 3,075 44 7 3 799 55 3

Not in labor force ............................................................................... 63,262 41,845 66 1 21,417 33 9

OCCUPATION

Executive, administrative, and managerial........................................... 14,839 5,943 40.0 8,897 60.0

Professional specialty ............................................................................ 15,818 8,095 51 2 7 723 48 8

Technicians and related support........................................................... 3,842 1,888 49.1 1,954 50.9

Sales occupations ................................................................................... 14,191 6,983 49 2 7 208 50 8

Administrative support, including clerical ............................................. 18,641 14,870 79.8 3,771 20.2

Service occupations................................................................................ 15,759 9,470 60.1 6,288 39.9

Precision production, craft, and repair.................................................. 13,641 1,159 8.5 12,482 91.5

Operators, fabricators, and laborers..................................................... 17,775 4,526 25.5 13,249 74.5

Farming, forestry, and fishing ................................................................ 3,408 544 16.0 2,864 84.0

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Table A-2. Civilian labor force participation rates of all persons, teenagers, and adults by sex, 1960-90

annual averages

(Percent of population in labor force)

Year

Women Men

Total,

16 years and

over

16 to 19

years

20 years

and over

Total,

16 years and 

over

16 to 19

years

20 years

and over

1960 ................................ 37.7 39.3 37.6 83.3 56.1 86.0

1961 ................................. 38.1 39.7 38.0 82.9 54.6 85.7

1962................................ 37.9 39.0 37.8 82.0 53.8 84.8

1963 ................................. 38.3 38.0 38.3 81.4 52.9 84.4

1964................................ 38.7 37.0 38.9 81.0 52.4 84.2

1965 ................................ 39.3 38.0 39.4 80.7 53.8 83.9

1966 ................................ 40.3 41.4 40.1 80.4 55.3 83.6

1967 ................................ 41.1 41.6 41.1 80.4 55.6 83.4

1968 ................................ 41.6 41.9 41.6 80.1 55.1 83.1

1969 ................................ 42.7 43.2 42.7 79.8 55.9 82.8

1970 ................................ 43.3 44.0 43.3 79.7 56.1 82 6

1971 ................................ 43.4 43.4 43.3 79.1 56.1 82.1

1972 ................................ 43.9 45.8 43.7 78.9 58.1 81.6

1973 ................................. 44.7 47.8 44.4 78.8 59.7 81.3

1974 ................................. 45.7 49.1 45.3 78.7 60.7 81.0

1975 ................................. 46.3 49.1 46.0 77.9 59.1 80.3

1976 ................................ 47.3 49.8 47.0 77.5 59.3 79.8

1977 ................................. 48.4 51.2 48.1 77.7 60.9 79.7

1978 ................................ 50.0 53.7 49.6 77.9 62.0 79.8

1979 ................................ 50.9 54.2 50.6 77.8 61.5 79.8

1980 ................................ 51.5 52.9 51.3 77.4 60.5 79.4

1981 ................................ 52.1 51.8 52.1 77.0 59.0 79.0

1982 ................................ 52.6 51.4 52.7 76.6 56.7 78.7

1983 ................................ 52.9 50.8 53.1 76.4 56.2 78.5

1984 ................................ 53.6 51.8 53.7 76.4 56.0 78.3

1985 ................................ 54.5 52.1 54.7 76.3 56.8 78.1

1986 ................................ 55.3 53.0 55.5 76.3 56.4 78.1

1987 ................................ 56.0 53.3 56.2 76.2 56.1 78.0

1988 ................................ 56.6 53.6 56.8 76.2 56.9 77.9

1989 ................................ 57.4 53.9 57.7 76.4 57.9 78.1

1990 ................................. 57.5 51.8 57.9 76.1 55.7 77.8

Table A-3. Civilian labor force participation rates by age and sex, 1960 and

1990 annual averages

(Percent of population in labor force)

Age

Women Men

1960 1990 1960 1990

Total 16 years and over ................. 37.7 57.5 83.3 76.1

16 to 19 years....................................... 39.3 51.8 56.1 55.7

20 to 24 years....................................... 46.1 71.6 88.1 84.3

25 to 34 years....................................... 36.0 73.6 97.5 94.2

35 to 44 years....................................... 43.4 76.5 97.7 94.4

45 to 54 years....................................... 49.9 71.2 95.7 90.7

55 to 64 years....................................... 37.2 45.3 86.8 67.7

65 years and over ................................ 10.8 8.7 33.1 16.4

39

Digitized for FRASER 

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Table A-4. Civilian labor force participation rates of persons 20 years and over by sex,

race, and Hispanic origin, 1973-90 annual averages

(Percent of population in labor force)

Year

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

Women, 20 years and over Men, 20 years and over

White Black Hispanic

origin White Black Hispanic

origin

43.5 51.6 41.3 81.6 78.4 85.9

44.4 51.4 42.7 81.4 77.6 86.0

45.3 51.1 43.8 80.7 76.0 85.5

46.2 52.5 44.6 80.3 75.4 84.2

47.3 53.6 45.1 80.2 75.6 84.8

48.7 55.5 47.2 80.1 76.2 84.9

49.8 55.4 48.0 80.1 76.3 85.3

50.6 55.6 48.5 79.8 75.1 84.9

51.5 56.0 49.7 79.5 74.5 84.7

52.2 56.2 49.3 79.2 74.7 84.0

52.5 56.8 49.0 78.9 75.2 84.1

53.1 57.6 50.5 78.7 74.8 84.3

54.0 58.6 50.6 78.5 74.4 84.0

54.9 58.9 51.7 78.5 74.8 84.6

55.6 60.0 53.3 78.4 74.7 84.5

56.3 60.1 54.2 78.3 74.6 85.0

57.2 60.6 54.9 78.5 74.4 85.0

57.6 60.0 54.6 78.3 73.8 84.1

NOTE: Data for persons of Hispanic origin,

beginning in 1980, are not strictly comparable with

data for prior years because of revisions in the

estimation procedures.

Table A-5. Civilian labor force participation rates of women in nine industrialized

countries, annual averages, selected years, 1970-90

(Percent of population in labor force)

Country 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990

United States .............................. 43.3 46.3 51.5 54.5 57.5

Australia....................................... 40.4 44.5 45.5 47.0 53.1

Canada......................................... 38.3 44.4 50.4 54.6 58.4

France.......................................... 39.8 41.7 44.3 45.5 45.9

Italy............................................... 26.4 26.8 30.1 30.7 32.6

Japan ........................................... 48.7

(’)

44.8 46.6 47.6 49.1

Netherlands................................. 29.5 34.3 38.6 42.2

Sweden ................................... 50.0 55.2 59.3 61.5 63.9

United Kingdom .......................... 42.2 46.2 47.8 49.6 53.3

1 Data not available. data for the Netherlands are for 1988, the latest

NOTE: Data for 1990 for France, Italy, year available.

Sweden, and the United Kingdom are preliminary;

40

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Table A-6. Employed persons by sex, 1960-90 annual averages

(In thousands)

Year Total,

16 years and over

Women Men

1960 ............................................................ 65,778 21,874 43,904

1961 ........................................................ 65,746 22,090 43,656

1962' ........................................................... 66,702 22,525 44,177

1963 ............................................................ 67,762 23,105 44,657

1964 ............................................................ 69,305 23,831 45,474

1965 ............................................................ 71,088 24,748 46,340

1966 ............................................................ 72,895 25,976 46,919

1967 ............................................................ 74,372 26,893 47,479

1968 ............................................................ 75,920 27,807 48,114

1969 ............................................................ 77,902 29,084 48,818

1970 ............................................................ 78,678 29,688 48,990

1971 ............................................................ 79,367 29,976 49,390

1972’ ........................................................... 82,153 31,257 50,896

1973' ........................................................... 85,064 32,715 52749

1974 ............................................................ 86,794 33,769 53,024

1975 ............................................................ 85,846 33,989 51,857

1976 ............................................................ 88,752 35,615 53,138

1977 ............................................................ 92,017 37,289 54728

1978' ........................................................... 96,048 39,569 56,479

1979 ............................................................ 98,824 41,217 57,607

1980 ............................................................ 99,303 42,117 57,186

1981 ............................................................ 100,397 43,000 57,397

1982 ............................................................ 99,526 43,256 56,271

1983 ............................................................ 100,834 44,047 56,787

1984 ............................................................ 105,005 45,915 59,091

1985 ............................................................ 107,150 47,259 59,891

1986’ ........................................................... 109,597 48,706 60,892

1987 ............................................................ 112,440 50,334 62,107

1988 ............................................................ 114,968 51,696 63,273

1989 ............................................................ 117,342 53,027 64,315

1990 ............................................................ 117,914 53,479 64,435

1 Not strictly comparable with prior years

because of revisions in the population levels

and/or estimation procedures used in the

Current Population Survey (CPS). For an

explanation, see the Explanatory Notes of 

Employment and Earnings.

41

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Table A-7. Employed full- and part-time workers, 20 years and over, by sex, 1968-90 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Employed women, 20 years and over Employed men, 20 years and over

Year

Total

Full time Part time

Total

Full time Part time

Number

Percent

of

total

Number

Percent

of

total

Number

Percent

of

total

Number

Percent

of

total

1968 ............................................... 25,281 19,600 77.5 5,681 22.5 44,859 42,720 95.2 2,139 4.8

1969 ............................................... 26,397 20,454 77.5 5,944 22.5 45,388 43,100 95.0 2,288 5.0

1970 ............................................... 26,952 20,654 76.6 6,297 23.4 45,581 43,138 94 6 2,443 5.4

1971 ............................................... 27,246 20,769 76.2 6,477 23.8 45,912 43,321 94.4 2,591 5.6

1972’.............................................. 28,276 21,536 76.2 6,741 23.8 47,130 44,476 94 4 2,654 5.6

1973'.............................................. 29,484 22,495 76.3 6,991 23.7 48,310 45,637 94.5 2,673 5.5

1974 ............................................... 30,424 23,181 76.2 7,243 23.8 48,922 46,158 94.3 2,765 5.7

1975 ............................................... 30,726 23,242 75.6 7,484 24.4 48,018 45,051 93.8 2,967 6.2

1976 ............................................... 32,226 24,406 75.7 7,820 24.3 49,190 46,175 93 9 3,015 6.1

1977 ............................................... 33,775 25,587 75.8 8,187 24.2 50,555 47,402 93.8 3,152 6.2

1978’.............................................. 35,836 27,326 76.3 8,511 23.7 52,143 49,007 94.0 3,136 6.0

1979 ............................................... 37,434 28,623 76.5 8,812 23.5 53,308 50,174 94 1 3,133 5.9

1980 ............................................... 38,492 29,391 76.4 9,102 23.6 53,101 49,698 93.6 3,403 6.4

1981 ............................................... 39,590 30,041 75.9 9,549 24.1 53,582 50,092 93.5 3,490 6.5

1982 ............................................... 40,086 30,007 74.9 10,079 25.1 52,891 48,895 92.4 3,996 7.6

1983 ............................................... 41,004 30,680 74.8 10,324 25.2 53,487 49,264 92.1 4,223 7.9

1984 ............................................... 42,793 32,404 75.7 10,388 24.3 55,769 51,624 92.6 4,145 7.4

1985 ............................................... 44,154 33,604 76.1 10,551 23.9 56,562 52,425 92.7 4,137 7.3

1986’.............................................. 45,556 34,812 76.4 10,744 23.6 57,569 53,317 92.6 4,252 7.4

1987 ............................................... 47,074 36,121 76.7 10,953 23.3 58,726 54,381 92.6 4,345 7.4

1988 ............................................... 48,383 37,299 77.1 11,084 22.9 59,781 55,353 92.6 4,427 7.4

1989 ............................................ 49,745 38,408 77.2 11,337 22.8 60,837 56,386 92.7 4,451 7.3

1990 ............................................... 50,455 39,036 77.4 11,419 22.6 61,198 56,640 92.6 4,558 7.4

' Not strictly comparable with prior years because of revisions in the

population levels and/or estimation procedures used in the Current

Population Survey (CPS). For an explanation, see the Explanatory Notes

of Employment and Earnings.

Table A-8. Percent distribution of the employed by occupation and sex, 1972 and 1990 annual

averages

Occupation

Women Men

1972 1990 1972 1990

Total, 16 years and over (thousands) .......................................... 31,257 53,479 50,896 64,435

Percent ............................................................................................. 100.0 100 0 100 0 100 0

Executive, administrative, and managerial.......................................... 4.6 11.1 11.5 13.8

Professional specialty............................................................................ 12.4 15.1 9.7 12.0

Technicians and related support.......................................................... 2.4 3.5 2.3 3.0

Sales occupations.................................................................................. 11.1 13 1 10.0 11 2

Administrative support, including clerical............................................ 31.5 27.8 6.4 5.9

Service occupations............................................................................... 21.2 17.7 8 3 9 8

Precision production, craft, and repair................................................ 1.6 2.2 19 4 19 4

Operators, fabricators, and laborers.................................................... 13.4 8.5 25.9 20.6

Farming, forestry, and fishing............................................................... 1.9 1.0 6.4 4.4

42

Digitized for FRASER 

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Table A-9. Employed women in selected occupations, 1972 and 1990 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Occupation

1972 1990

Total

employed

Percent

women

Total

employed

Percent

women

Assemblers ........................................................................................ 1,022 46.8 1,130 43.5

Bartenders ............................................................................... 202 27.9 307 55.6

Bus drivers ............................................................................... 253 34.1 443 51.6

Computer programmers .................................................................. 188 19.9 594 36.0

Lawyers .............................................................................................. 305 4.0 729 20.6

Physicans........................................................................................... 332 10.1 575 19.3

Registered nurses............................................................................. 807 97.6 1,673 94.5

Secretaries......................................................................................... 2,964 99.1 3,956 99.0

Teachers, except college and university ...................................... 2,852 70.0 3,993 73.7

Telephone installers and repairers................................................ 312 1.9 193 11.3

NOTE: Data for 1972 and 1990 are not strictly classification system beginning in 1983.

comparable due to changes in the occupational

Table A-10. Women on nonfarm payrolls by industry, 1990 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Employees

Industry

Total nonfarm .........................................

Total private ..........................................

Mining..................................................

Construction .......................................

Manufacturing....................................

Durable goods................................

Nondurable goods .........................

Transportation and public utilities ....

Wholesale trade................................

Retail trade'........................................

General merchandise stores.......

Food stores .....................................

Apparel and accessory stores .....

Eating and drinking places ...........

Finance, insurance, and real estate

Services1 .............................................

Business services ..........................

Health services................................

Educational services......................

Social services ................................

Government...........................................

Federal ................................................

State ....................................................

Local....................................................

Women

Total

Number Percent

total

109,971 52,147 47.4

91,649 42,423 46.3

711 96 13.5

5,136 554 10.8

19,111 6,297 33.0

11,115 2,969 26.7

7,995 3,329 41.6

5,826 1,711 29.4

6,205 1,903 30.7

19,683 10,462 53.2

2,516 1,727 68.6

3,229 1,640 50.8

1,178 891 75.6

6,565 3,659 55.7

6,739 4,259 63.2

28,240 17,141 60.7

5,241 2,493 47.6

7,844 6,456 82.3

1,652 934 56.5

1,811 1,409 77.8

18,322 9,725 53.1

3,085 1,258 40.8

4,303 2,139 49.7

10,934 6,328 57.9

1 Includes other industries, not shown separately.

43

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Table A-11. Median weekly earnings ratios for full-time wage and salary workers by age, race, and

sex, 1979 and 1990 annual averages

Age and race

1979 1990

Women Men

Ratio of

women’s

to

men’s

earnings

Women Men

Ratio of

women’s

to

men’s

earnings

TOTAL

16 years and over..................................................... S182 $291 62.5 $348 $485 71.8

16 to 24 years ........................................................ 154 196 78.6 254 283 89.8

25 years and over.................................................. 194 314 61.8 370 514 72.0

25 to 54 years ..................................................... 196 315 62.2 374 512 73.0

25 to 34 years................................................... 199 295 67.5 357 452 79.0

35 to 44 years................................................... 195 335 58.2 391 563 69.4

45 to 54 years................................................... 192 337 57.0 377 592 63.7

55 years and over ............................................... 187 305 61.3 342 526 65.0

55 to 64 years................................................... 188 312 60.3 348 545 63.9

65 years and over ............................................ 170 219 77.6 300 402 74.6

White

16 years and over..................................................... 184 298 61.7 355 497 71.4

16 to 24 years ........................................................ 155 199 77.9 257 287 89.5

25 years and over.................................................. 197 321 61.4 378 529 71.5

25 to 54 years ..................................................... 198 322 61.5 382 525 72.8

55 years and over ............................................... 190 313 60.7 348 554 62.8

Black

16 years and over..................................................... 169 227 74.4 308 360 85.6

16 to 24 years ........................................................ 144 167 86.2 234 249 94.0

25 years and over.................................................. 177 245 72.2 320 386 82.9

25 to 54 years ..................................................... 179 249 71.9 321 387 82.9

55 years and over............................................... 159 216 73.6 303 381 79.5

44

Digitized for FRASER 

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Table A-12. Unemployment rates of all persons, teenagers, and adults by sex, 1960-90

annual averages

(Percent of labor force that is unemployed)

Year

Women Men

Total,

16 years

and over

16 to 19

years

20 years

and over

Total,

16 years

and over

16 to 19

years

20 years

and over

1960 ................................ 5.9 13.9 5.1 5.4 15.3 4.7

1961 ................................ 7.2 16.3 6.3 6.4 17.1 5.7

1962 ................................ 6.2 14.6 5.4 5.2 14.7 4.6

1963 ................................ 6.5 17.2 5.4 5.2 17.2 4.5

1964 ................................ 6.2 16.6 5.2 4.6 15.8 3.9

1965 ................................. 5.5 15.7 4.5 4.0 14.1 3.2

1966 ................................ 4.8 14.1 3.8 3.2 11.7 2.5

1967 ................................ 5.2 13.5 4.2 3.1 12.3 2.3

1968 ................................ 4.8 14.0 3.8 2.9 11.6 2.2

1969 ................................ 4.7 13.3 3.7 2.8 11.4 2.1

1970 ................................. 5.9 15.6 4.8 4.4 15.0 3.5

1971 ................................. 6.9 17.2 5.7 5.3 16.6 4.4

1972 ................................ 6.6 16.7 5.4 5.0 15.9 4.0

1973 ................................ 6.0 15.3 4.9 4.2 13.9 3.3

1974 ................................ 6.7 16.6 5.5 4.9 15.6 3.8

1975 ................................ 9.3 19.7 8.0 7.9 20.1 6.8

1976 ................................ 8.6 18.7 7.4 7.1 19.2 5.9

1977 ................................ 8.2 18.3 7.0 6.3 17.3 5.2

1978 ................................ 7.2 17.1 6.0 5.3 15.8 4.3

1979 ................................ 6.8 16.4 5.7 5.1 15.9 4.2

1980 ................................ 7.4 17.2 6.4 6.9 18.3 5.9

1981 ................................ 7.9 19.0 6.8 7.4 20.1 6.3

1982 ................................ 9.4 21.9 8.3 9.9 24.4 8.8

1983 ................................ 9.2 21.3 8.1 9.9 23.3 8.9

1984 ................................ 7.6 18.0 6.8 7.4 19.6 6.6

1985 ................................ 7.4 17.6 6.6 7.0 19.5 6.2

1986 ................................ 7.1 17.6 6.2 6.9 19.0 6.1

1987 ................................ 6.2 15.9 5.4 6.2 17.8 5.4

1988 ................................ 5.6 14.4 4.9 5.5 16.0 4.8

1989 ................................. 5.4 14.0 4.7 5.2 15.9 4.5

1990 ................................ 5.4 14.7 4.8 5.6 16.3 4.9

45

Digitized for FRASER 

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Table A-13. Unemployment rates by age and sex, 1990 annual

averages

(Percent of labor force that is unemployed)

Age Women Men

Total, 16 years and over..................................................... 5.4 5.6

16 to 19 years .......................................................................... 14.7 16.3

20 years and over.................................................................... 4.8 4.9

20 to 24 years ....................................................................... 8.5 9.1

25 to 34 years ....................................................................... 5.6 5.5

35 to 44 years ....................................................................... 4.2 4.0

45 to 54 years ....................................................................... 3.4 3.7

55 to 64 years ....................................................................... 2.8 3.8

65 years and over ................................................................. 3.1 3.0

65 to 69 years..................................................................... 3.4 3.2

70 to 74 years..................................................................... 2.4 3.3

75 years and over .............................................................. 3.0 1.8

Table A-14. Unemployment rates by race, Hispanic origin, age, and sex,

1990 annual averages

(Percent of labor force that is unemployed)

Age, race, and Hispanic origin Women Men

White, 16 years and over.................................................... 4.6 4.8

16 to 19 years .......................................................................... 12.6 14.2

20 years and over.................................................................... 4.1 4.3

20 to 24 years ....................................................................... 6.8 7.6

25 to 34 years ....................................................................... 4.5 4.7

35 to 44 years ....................................................................... 3.7 3.5

45 to 54 years ....................................................................... 3.2 3.4

55 to 64 years ....................................................................... 2.7 3.6

65 years and over ................................................................. 2.8 2.8

Black, 16 years and over.................................................... 10.8 11.8

16 to 19 years .......................................................................... 30.0 32.1

20 years and over.................................................................... 9.6 10.4

20 to 24 years ....................................................................... 19.7 20.2

25 to 34 years ....................................................................... 11.9 11.5

35 to 44 years ....................................................................... 7.2 8.5

45 to 54 years ....................................................................... 4.4 6.3

55 to 64 years ....................................................................... 3.7 5.5

65 years and over ................................................................. 5.8 4.6

Hispanic origin, 16 years and over.................................... 8.3 7.8

16 to 19 years .......................................................................... 19.5 19.6

20 years and over.................................................................... 7.4 7.0

20 to 24 years ....................................................................... 10.4 8.3

25 to 34 years ....................................................................... 8.0 6.8

35 to 44 years ....................................................................... 6.6 6.5

45 to 54 years ....................................................................... 6.0 6.8

55 to 64 years ....................................................................... 4.2 6.5

65 years and over ................................................................. 6.4 5.8

46

Digitized for FRASER 

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Table A-15. Employment status of women by race and household relationship, 1990 annual

averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Sex and household

relationship

Civilian

noninstitutional

population

Civilian labor force

Not

in

labor

force Total

Percent

of

population

Employed

Unemployed

Number

Percent

of

labor force

TOTAL

Wives ............................................................................ 51,365 30,005 58.4 28,912 1,093 3.6 21,360

Women who maintain families' ..................................... 11,154 6,925 62.1 6,357 568 8.2 4,229

Women who live alone.................................................... 13,952 5,949 42.6 5,753 196 3.3 8,002

16 to 24 years ............................................................... 572 502 87.7 481 21 4.2 70

25 to 59 years ............................................................... 5,022 4,291 85.4 4,155 136 3.2 731

60 years and over......................................................... 8,359 1,157 13.8 1,117 40 3.4 7,202

Women who live with nonrelatives ............................... 5,369 4,178 77.8 3,930 248 5.9 1,191

16 to 24 years ............................................................... 1,707 1,354 79.3 1,254 100 7.4 353

25 to 59 years ............................................................... 3,273 2,740 83.7 2,594 146 5.3 533

60 years and over ......................................................... 389 84 21.7 82 3 3.2 305

White

Wives ............................................................................ 46,223 26,724 57.8 25,801 923 3.5 19,499

Women who maintain families' ..................................... 7,448 4,761 63.9 4,463 298 6.3 2,687

Women who live alone................................................... 12,215 5,117 41.9 4,967 150 2.9 7,098

16 to 24 years ............................................................... 491 437 89.1 421 16 3.6 54

25 to 59 years ............................................................... 4,179 3,634 86.9 3,532 102 2.8 545

60 years and over......................................................... 7,545 1,046 13.9 1,014 32 3.1 6,499

Women who live with nonrelatives ............................... 4,597 3,657 79.6 3,461 197 5.4 940

16 to 24 years ............................................................... 1,506 1,219 80.9 1,138 81 6.7 287

25 to 59 years ............................................................... 2,773 2,370 85.5 2,256 113 4.8 403

60 years and over......................................................... 318 68 21.5 66 2 (2) 250

Black

Wives ................................................................................. 3,471 2,279 65.7 2,158 121 5.3 1,191

Women who maintain families’ ..................................... 3,360 1,967 58.5 1,710 257 13.1 1,393

Women who live alone................................................... 1,483 696 46.9 656 40 5.7 788

16 to 24 years ............................................................... 62 50 (2) 46 4 (2) 12

25 to 59 years ............................................................... 708 546 77.1 518 29 5.2 162

60 years and over......................................................... 713 100 14.0 92 7 7.4 613

Women who live with nonrelatives ............................... 554 381 68.8 338 43 11.2 173

16 to 24 years ............................................................... 138 97 70.2 82 15 15.7 41

25 to 59 years ............................................................... 359 273 76.1 246 27 9.9 86

60 years and over........................................................ 57 11 (2) 11 (2) 46

' Refers to never-married, widowed, divorced, or separated 2 Data not shown where base is less than 75,000.

women.

47

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Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Table A-16. Labor force status and reason not in labor force for persons 25 to 54 years of age by sex, annual averages,

selected years, 1962-90

Sex, labor force status, and reason

1962 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990

WOMEN

Civilian noninstitutional population (thousands) .............................. 34,458 34,856 36,371 39,700 43,603 48,493 53,856

Percent............................................................................................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

In the civilian labor force ................................................................ 43.4 45.2 50.1 55.0 63.9 69.6 74.1

Employed........................................................................................ 41.2 43.3 47.8 51.0 60.1 65.3 70.7

Not in the labor force ...................................................................... 56.6 54.8 49.9 45.0 36.1 30.4 25.9

Keeping house............................................................................... 55.5 53.4 47.9 41.9 32.2 26.1 21.1

Other reasons ................................................................................ 1.1 1.3 2.1 3.2 3.9 4.3 4.9

Going to school .......................................................................... .2 .3 .4 .7 .9 1.1 1.2

Unable to work............................................................................ .3 .3 .4 .6 .6 .5 1.0

All other reasons ........................................................................ .6 .7 1.2 1.9 2.4 2.7 2.7

MEN

Civilian noninstitutional population (thousands).............................. 31,758 32,121 33,612 37,071 41,095 45,973 51,641

Percent............................................................................................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

In the civilian labor force ................................................................ 96.8 96.7 95.8 94.4 94.2 93.9 93.4

Employed........................................................................................ 92.9 94.1 93.2 89.0 89.4 88.7 89.2

Not in the labor force ...................................................................... 3.2 3.3 4.2 5.6 5.8 6.1 6.6

Keeping house............................................................................... .1 .1 .1 .2 .2 .3 .5

Other reasons................................................................................ 3.1 3.2 4.0 5.4 5.5 5.7 6.1

Going to school .......................................................................... .4 .4 .6 .8 .8 .8 .8

Unable to work............................................................................ 1.0 .9 1.5 1.9 1.6 1.3 1.9

All other reasons ........................................................................ 1.8 1.9 2.0 2.7 3.2 3.6 3.3

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Table A-17. Families by type of family and labor force status of members, March, selected years, 1960-90

Type of family and labor force status of members 1960

—

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990

Number of families (in thousands)

Married-couple families ...................................................................... 39,335 41,648 44,436 47,438 49,132 50,395 52,385

Husband in labor force, not the wife............................................. 23,864 23,060 21,715 20,066 17,179 14,747 13,081

Husband and wife in labor force.................................................... 11,177 13,485 16,924 19,355 22,728 25,041 28,043

Wife in labor force, not the husband............................................. 813 985 1,217 1,755 1,942 2 345 2 451

Neither husband nor wife in labor force ....................................... 3,477 4,118 4,579 6,262 7,284 8 263 8 810

Families maintained by women' ....................................................... 4,494 5,006 5,580 7,330 9,009 ' 10,524 11,309

Householder in labor force ............................................................. 2,243 2,548 2,952 3,988 5,377 6,419 7,088

Householder not in labor force ...................................................... 2,248 2,458 2,628 3,342 3,632 4,105 4,221

Families maintained by men' ............................................................ 1,233 1,182 1,221 1,513 1,769 2,313 2,929

Householder in labor force ............................................................. 908 850 877 1,127 1,312 1,786 2,285

Householder not in labor force ...................................................... 325 332 344 386 457 527 644

Percent distribution

Married-couple families ...................................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Husband in labor force, not the wife............................................. 60.7 55.4 48.9 42.3 35.0 29.3 25.0

Husband and wife in labor force.................................................... 28.4 32.4 38.1 40.8 46.3 49.7 53.5

Wife in labor force, not the husband............................................. 2.1 2.4 2.7 3.7 4.0 4.7 4.7

Neither husband nor wife in labor force ....................................... 8.8 9.9 10.3 13.2 14.8 16.4 16.8

Families maintained by women1 ....................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Householder in labor force ............................................................. 49.9 50.9 52.9 54.4 59.7 61.0 62.7

Householder not in labor force ...................................................... 50.1 49.1 47.1 45.6 40.3 39.0 37.3

Families maintained by men1 ............................................................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Householder in labor force ............................................................. 73.6 71.9 71.8 74.5 74.2 77.2 78.0

Householder not in labor force ...................................................... 26.4 28.1 28.2 25.5 25.8 22.8 22.0

' Refers to families maintained by never-married widowed, divorced, maintaining the family is in the Armed Forces, either living off post or

or separated men or women. with their families on post.

NOTE: Data include families where the husband, wife, or male

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Table A-18. Civilian labor force and labor force participation rates of mothers by marital status and age of youngest child,

March, selected years, 1975-90

(Numbers in thousands)

Category and year

Civilian labor force Civilian labor force participation rate

Total

With children:

Total

With children:

Under

2 years

old

2 to 3

years

old

4 to 5

years

old

6 to 17

years

old

Under

2 years

old

2 to 3

years

old

4 to 5

years

old

6 to 17

years

old

1975 .......

TOTAL

14,121 1,727 1,830 1,817 8,750 47.2 31.8 41.0

_________

45.4 54.7

1980 ....... 17,391 2,293 2,190 1,825 11,081 56.7 39.1 51.0 54.8 64.4

1985 ....... 19,068 2,839 2,562 2,168 11,500 62.4 48.0 54.6 61.7 69.9

1990 ....... 21,156 3,309 2,915 2,515 12,418 67.0 52.0 61.2 65.8 74.7

1975 .......

Married

11,447 1,526 1,512 1,428 6,984 45.0 31.0 39.3 42.8 52.4

1980 ....... 13,558 2,024 1,768 1,375 8,390 54.3 39.0 49.6 51.9 61.8

1985 ....... 14,766 2,562 2,097 1,639 8,469 61.0 49.4 54.5 60.8 67.8

1990 ....... 16,296 2,828 2,351 1,924 9,192 66.4 53.6 61.5 64.7 73.6

1975 .......

Single parent

2,674 201 318 389 1,766 60.0 39.0 52.0 58.5 66.2

1980 ....... 3,833 269 422 450 2,691 67.0 40.1 57.8 66.4 74.0

1985 ....... 4,302 277 465 529 3,031 67.8 38.0 55.3 64.4 76.6

1990 ....... 4,860 481 564 591 3,226 69.2 44.0 60.1 69.9 77.9

’ Includes never-married, widowed, divorced, and separated mothers. adopted children. Excluded are other related children such as

NOTE: Children refer to own children of the husband, wife, or person grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins, and unrelated children.

maintaining the family and include sons and daughters, stepchildren, and

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Appendix B. Sources and

Concepts

Sources of the data

Most ofthe data shown in this chartbook are from the Current Population Survey

(CPS). The CPS is a survey of about 60,000 households that is conducted monthly

by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It provides

comprehensive information on the labor force status and earnings of persons in 

these households by a wide array of demographic characteristics. The data collected

relate to the calendar week including the 12th day of the month.

The only two charts (and their related appendix tables) that are not CPS-based

are charts 5 and 10. Chart 5, which shows women’s labor force participation rates

in several countries, was prepared from data compiled by the Bureau’s Division

of Foreign Labor Statistics and Trade. Chart 10, which shows women’s employment

patterns by industry, was derived from data collected in the Current Employment

Statistics Survey (CES). The CES is a survey of over 350,000 business establishments conducted by the BLS in conjunction with State employment security

agencies. This survey collects data on payroll employment, hours, and earnings.

For more information on these surveys, see chapter 1, “Labor Force,

Employment, and Unemployment from the Current Population Survey,’’ and

chapter 2, “Employment, Hours, and Earnings from the Establishment Survey,”

in BLS Handbook ofMethods, Bulletin 2285, U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau

of Labor Statistics, and the “Explanatory Notes” of the BLS monthly periodical

Employment and Earnings.

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Basic labor force concepts

Employed. Persons are classified as employed if they did any work at all as paid

employees; worked in their own business or profession or on their own farm; or

worked 15 hours or more a week as unpaid workers in a business or farm operated

by a member of their family. Also counted as employed are all persons temporarily

absent from, theirjobs because of illness, bad weather, labor dispute, or personal

reasons, whether they were paid for the time off or whether they were seeking

other jobs.

Full- and part-time employed. Employed persons are divided into full- and parttime categories based on their usual status. In this context, full-time workers are

those who (a) worked 35 hours or more during the survey week, (b) worked 1

to 34 hours for economic or noneconomic reasons, but usually work 35 hours or

more, and (c) were with a job but not at work and usually work 35 hours or more

a week. Similarly, part-time workers are those who (a) voluntarily worked 1 to

34 hours during the survey week, (b) worked 1 to 34 hours for economic reasons,

but usually work 1 to 34 hours, and (c) were with a job but not at work and usually

work 1 to 34 hours.

Unemployed. Persons are classified as unemployed regardless of their eligibility

for unemployment benefits or public assistance, if they meet all of the following

criteria: They had no employment during the survey week; they were available

for work at that time, except for temporary illness; and they had made specific

efforts to find employment sometime during the prior 4 weeks. Persons laid off

from their former jobs and awaiting recall and those expecting to report to a job

within 30 days need not be looking for work to be counted as unemployed.

The civilian laborforce. All persons classified as either employed or unemployed

are considered to be in the civilian labor force.

The civilian laborforce participation rate. The civilian labor force as a percent

of the civilian noninstitutional population.

The unemployment rate. The number unemployed as a percent of the civilian labor

force.

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Appendix C. Where to Find Additional

BLS Data on Women

Employment, Hours, and Earnings, United States, 1909-90, U.S. Department

of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bulletin 2370, March 1991.

This publication contains trend data on women from the Current Employment

Statistics program. Data are available on nonfarm payroll employment, hours,

and earnings by detailed industry.

Employment and Earnings

A monthly periodical containing data on the employment status of the

population by sex and many other demographic characteristics. The January

issue contains annual average data for the previous year.

Employment in Perspective: Women in the Labor Force

A quarterly report devoted solely to data on women in the labor force.

Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment

An annual bulletin that has information on women’s employment status by

Census regions, States, and metropolitan areas.

Handbook ofLabor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor

Statistics, Bulletin 2340, August 1989.

A bulletin that is a compendium of data from the Bureau’s major statistical

programs, some of which include data on women.

Labor Force Statistics Derivedfrom the Current Population Survey, 1948-87,

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bulletin 2307, August

1988.

Commonly called the “CPS Databook,” this publication contains trend data

on women from the Current Population Survey. Data are disaggregated by

a variety of demographic characteristics, including age, race and Hispanic

origin, presence and age of youngest child, etc.

Monthly Labor Review

A monthly periodical containing scholarly articles and statistical tables. Articles

on women and families are frequently featured. The December issue contains

an index of that year’s articles by author, subject, and title.

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Bureau of Labor Statistics

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