Fact Sheet Header

**No. 00-04 April
		2000**

**WOMEN OF HISPANIC
		ORIGIN(1) IN THE
		LABOR FORCE**

Women of Hispanic origin are one of the fastest growing population
		groups in the nation. In 1990 there were 7.0 million Hispanic women age 16
		years and over in the United States and 11 million by the end of 1999
		(**see Table 1**). The largest female Hispanic origin subgroup
		continues to be women of Mexican origin (6.6 million), followed by women of
		Puerto Rican origin (1.1 million), and women of Cuban origin (573,000). The
		remaining 2.6 million were of other Spanish origin.(2)

Text version

Table 1

Overall, Hispanic origin women's population
		increased by 51.7 percent during this time period, compared with 16.9 percent
		for black women and 7.0 percent for white women.

Puerto Rican and Cuban origin women, age 16
		and over, continued to outnumber their male counterparts in 1999, however, the
		number of Mexican origin women (6.6 million) is slightly less than the number
		of Mexican origin men (6.9 million). With their steadily growing population,
		Mexican origin women may outpace Mexican origin men within this decade.

Hispanic origin women, in general, are
		younger than other female groups. Their median age in November 1998 was 27.1
		years; 28.2 years for American Indian women; 31.7 years for black women; 32.3
		years for Asian and Pacific Islander women; and 37.6 years for white women.

**LABOR FORCE
		PARTICIPATION**-- Of the
		64.9 million women in the civilian labor force in 1999, 6.1 million (9 percent)
		were of Hispanic origin. Projections for the year 2008 predict Hispanic origin
		women will represent 12 percent of the female labor force.

The labor force participation rate for
		Mexican origin women was 54.6 percent; 55.0 percent for Puerto Rican origin
		women; and50.2 percentfor Cuban origin women (**see Table 2**).
		Mexican and Cuban origin women have participated in the labor force at or above
		the 50 percent level since the 1980's. Puerto Rican origin women only reached
		that level in 1997.

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		version

Table 2

Hispanic origin women continue to have
		lower participation rates than white and black women (**see Table
		3**). When women and men are looked at collectively, however, Hispanics
		participated at a similar level to whites (67.7 percent as compared to 67.3
		percent) and slightly more frequently than blacks (65.8
		percent).

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Table 3

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has
		projected that the female Hispanic labor force will grow from 5.7 million in
		1998 to about 8.5 million in 2008. This 48 percent increase will be the largest
		recorded among all female racial groups (**see Table 4**). The
		labor force growth of Asian and other women(3) -- at 46 percent -- will closely rival
		that of Hispanic origin women. These two groups of women have consistently
		shown the largest labor force increases over the 1978-1988 and 1988-1998
		periods. Hispanic origin women's labor force participation rate is projected to
		be 57.9 percent in 2008, however, they will be the only female group below the
		60 percent participation level.

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Table 4

**EMPLOYMENT**-- Hispanic origin women are
		one of the fastest growing groups of working women in the United States. Their
		total employment increased 61 percent -- from 3.5 million in 1990 to 5.6
		million in 1999. Of this 5.6 million, 1.4 million were of Mexican origin;
		223,000 were of Puerto Rican origin; 55,000 were of Cuban origin; and the
		remaining 618,000 were of various Central or South American origin. The types
		of jobs held by Hispanic origin women will be discussed in the
		*Occupations* section of this report.**

In 1999, 210,000 employed Hispanic origin women were *multiple job
		holders* -- persons that have more than one job. They were, however, less
		likely to hold more than one job than white and black women -- 3.7 percent of
		Hispanic origin women as compared with 4.8 percent of employed black women and
		6.2 percent of white women. In general, women of all racial groups reported
		that they held multiple jobs out of economic need -- to meet regular household
		expenses or to pay off debts -- according to data collected by the Bureau of
		Labor Statistics.

Nearly a quarter million (242,000) or 4.3 percent of employed Hispanic
		origin women were *self-employed* in 1999. Many of these women worked in
		personal service occupations including child care. Comparable figures for black
		women were 216,000 or 2.7 percent and 3 million or 5.9 percent for white women.

**OCCUPATIONS** -- 5.6 million Hispanic
		origin women were employed in 1999. Occupational employment among working women
		varies by race, but there are also similarities. All groups show their heaviest
		concentration in technical, sales, and administrative support occupations
		(TSAS), however, Hispanic origin and black women were more likely to work in
		service (SERV) occupations than white women (**see Table 5**).
		Numerous white women worked in technical, sales, and administrative jobs, but
		they had a much higher representation in managerial and professional (M&P)
		jobs than Hispanic origin or black women. Between 1990 and 1999, however,
		Hispanic origin women nearly doubled their employment in the high-paying,
		highly-skilled management and professional positions from 516,000 to 1,025,000.

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Table 5

More than half of the ten leading occupations of Hispanic women were
		*service* occupations, while three were *sales and administrative
		support* occupations (**see Table 6**). These two occupational
		groups accounted for nearly two-thirds of total employment for Hispanic origin
		women. Most sales and service jobs require few skills or training, and
		generally offer low wages and minimal health benefits.

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Table 6

Of the ten leading occupations of Hispanic women, *cashiers;
		secondary school teachers; retail sales workers; janitors and cleaners; nursing
		aides; and receptionists* are among the occupations projected to experience
		a large number of job openings between 1998 and 2008. Large job growth doesn't
		necessarily parallel with high salaries. Excluding teachers, women (Hispanic
		and non-Hispanic) employed as full-time wage and salary workers in these
		occupations had median weekly earnings ranging between $275-$373 in 1999.
		Hispanic origin women employed as teachers, excluding post-secondary, however,
		had median weekly earnings of $595. The 1999 median weekly earnings figure for
		all wage and salary Hispanic origin women workers was only $348.

Most fast growing, high paying occupations require substantial education
		and skills. Here is a brief list of jobs that are projected to have *fast
		growth(4)*** through 2008 and where
		women had median weekly earnings greater than $500 in 1999 -- *computer
		engineers; system analysts; physical and occupational therapists; registered
		nurses; special education teachers; speech pathologists and audiologists;
		residential counselors; and securities and financial services sales
		workers*.

**EARNINGS(5)AND
		INCOME(6)**-- Hispanic origin
		women who usually worked full time had median weekly earnings of $348 in 1999
		-- 86 percent of what their male counterparts earned ($406); 85 percent of
		black women ($409); and 72 percent of white women ($483).

One reason for Hispanic origin women's low median earnings is their
		concentration in jobs with lower than average wages. In administrative support
		and service jobs where Hispanic women are heavily represented, they earn much
		lower wages than the median weekly earnings for all women (**see Table
		7**).

In 1998 Hispanic origin women who worked year round, full time had
		median income of $19,817 -- this was 88 percent of what their male counterparts
		earned ($22,505); 83 percent of black women ($23,864); and 73 percent of white
		women ($27,304).

Text version

Table 7

**EDUCATIONAL
		ATTAINMENT** -- Because education is often a prerequisite for
		entering higher-paying occupations, Hispanic origin women's earnings are
		greatly affected by the amount of education they have attained. The largest
		group of Hispanic origin women age 25 years and over who were labor force
		participants in 1999 were those with less than a high school diploma -- nearly
		a third, 31 percent. This helps explain their low median weekly earnings and
		that they are mostly employed in sales, administrative support, and service
		jobs. Thirty percent of Hispanic origin women in the labor force (age 25 and
		over) were high school graduates with no college; 17 percent had some college,
		but no degree; 7 percent had associate degrees; while 15 percent were college
		graduates.

Higher educational attainment generally results in higher labor force
		participation and lower unemployment rates. In 1999 Hispanic origin women who
		had less than a high school diploma participated in the labor force at a rate
		of 41.3 percent; 62.5 percent for high school graduates with no college; and
		77.9 percent for college graduates. In addition, Hispanic origin women with
		less than a high school diploma had an unemployment rate of 9.8 percent; 9.5
		percent for high school graduates with no college; and 2.6 percent for college
		graduates.

**FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY
		WOMEN** -- These are families with no husband present in the
		household. There were 1.6 million Hispanic origin families maintained by women
		in 1998 -- a 50 percent increase since 1988 when they totaled 1.1 million.
		Women maintained nearly a quarter of all Hispanic families (1,612,000 out of
		6,961,000). Nearly 2.4 million children less than 18 years of age lived in
		Hispanic families maintained by women in March 1998.

Of all family types, those maintained by women had the lowest median
		income. In 1998 the median income for Hispanic families maintained by women,
		with no husband present was only $16,532; for Hispanic families with a male
		householder, no wife present, $29,227; and for married-couple Hispanic
		families, $34,816.

Foot Notes

1.Hispanic
		origin refers to all persons who identify themselves as Mexican, Puerto Rican,
		Cuban, Central American, or other Hispanic origin. Persons of Hispanic origin
		can be of any race.

2.Includes
		persons of Central or South American and of other Hispanic origin.

3.The "Asian
		and other" group includes (1) Asians and Pacific Islanders and (2) American
		Indians and Alaska Natives.

4.Any job
		where total employment is expected to increase from 21to 35 percent between
		1998 and 2008.

5.Earnings
		represent wages before taxes and other deductions, and included any overtime
		pay, commissions, or tips usually received (at the main job in the case of
		multiple job holders).

6.Income is
		the amounts received from wages and salaries, self-employment income (including
		losses), Social Security, supplemental security income, public assistance,
		interest, dividends, rent, royalties, estates, trusts, veteran's payments,
		unemployment and worker's compensation, retirement pensions and disability
		benefits, alimony, child support, educational assistance, and financial
		assistance from outside of the household, and other periodic income.

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