46 Monthly Labor Review October 2003

Women at Work

 The labor force participation 1. The rate of growth in women's labor force participation has slowed

rate for adult women rose dramatically during the 1970s and

1980s. Since then, growth in

participation has slowed substantially.

 The participation rate for adult

men has waned over time,

though the decline appears to

have leveled off in recent

years. The long-term decline

largely reflects the trend toward earlier retirement.

Shaded areas represent recessions.

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics

2. The unemployment rates for adult men and women have stayed quite close

since the early 1980s

Shaded areas represent recessions.

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics

 The unemployment rates for

adult men and adult women

have tracked quite closely

since the early 1980s. Prior to

that time, the jobless rate for

adult women tended to stay

above that for men.

 The jobless rate for teenagers

is much higher than that for

adults, largely because they

have less education and training, less experience, and tend

to move in and out of the job

market more frequently.

Percent Percent

Percent Percent

1970 1973 1976 1979 1982 1985 1988 1991 1994 1997 2000 2003

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

85

90

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

85

90

Adult men

Adult women

1970 1973 1976 1979 1982 1985 1988 1991 1994 1997 2000 2003

0

5

10

15

20

25

0

5

10

15

20

25

Teenagers

Adult women

Adult men
Monthly Labor Review October 2003 47

Shaded areas represent recessions. Beginning in 1994, data reflect the introduction of a major

redesign of the Current Population Survey.

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics

 Women are more than twice as

likely as men to work part

time—that is, fewer than 35

hours per week. In 2002, about

25 percent of employed

women were part-time workers, compared with 11 percent

of employed men.

 The proportion working part

time changed relatively little

for either women or men in

the 1970s and 1980s. (The

bump in 1994 reflects definitional and methodological

revisions to the Current

Population Survey.)

3. Women are more likely than men to work part time

Percent Percent

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

30

40

50

60

70

80

30

40

50

60

70

80

4. Year-round, full-time work has risen rather steadily among women

Percent Percent

Men

Women

Data are collected in March and refer to the preceding calendar year.

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics

 Among women who work at

some time during the year, the

proportion working year round

(50–52 weeks) and full time (35

hours or more per week) has increased over the past several

decades. Women have increasingly opted to work these

schedules, partly due to economic necessity, but also due

to movement into occupations

that are typified by year-round,

full-time work.

 The proportion for men—

which is considerably higher

than that for women—showed

little definitive movement until

the early 1980s. Since then, it

too has trended upward.

1970 1973 1976 1979 1982 1985 1988 1991 1994 1997 2000

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Women

Men
48 Monthly Labor Review October 2003

Women at Work

 In 1970, the impact of marriage and motherhood on

women’s labor force participation rates was strikingly

evident. At that time, their

participation reached its initial peak at ages 20–24,

dropped at ages 25–34, and

then gradually rose to a second peak at ages 45–54, before tapering off. When

these points are plotted, the

peaks and valleys resemble

the letter “M.”

 By 2002, this pattern of peaks

and valleys was no longer

evident, as women had increasingly added the role of

worker to their more traditional family responsibilities.

Indeed, women’s labor force

participation pattern by age

now resembles that of men.

5. Women's labor force participation patterns are now more like those of men

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics

6. The proportion of managers who are women has grown markedly

Percent Percent

Executive,

administrative,

and managerial

Professional

specialty

Technical

and sales

Administrative

support,

including

clerical

Service

Precision

production,

and operators,

fabricators,

and laborers

Women as a percent of total employment in major occupations.

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics

 Women have made significant

inroads into managerial occupations. Between 1972 and 2002,

the proportion of managerial

jobs held by women more than

doubled, increasing from 20 to

46 percent.

 Women still are underrepresented

in many specific professions

and overrepresented in others.

For example, they comprise just

11 percent of engineers but 93

percent of registered nurses.

 Despite the movement of many

women into managerial and

professional jobs, they still are

concentrated in clerical and service jobs. Nearly one-half of

women workers are employed in

three occupational groups—

sales (retail and personal services), services, and administrative support—compared with

about one-fifth of male workers.

Age

Percent Percent

1972

2002

19.7

45.9 44.0

54.7

40.1

50.1

75.0

78.5

61.1 59.9

16.9 16.1

16 to 19 20 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 64 65 and older

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20

40

60

80

100

Men, 1970

Men, 2002

Women, 2002

Women, 1970

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20

40

60

80

100
Monthly Labor Review October 2003 49

 The ratio of women’s to men’s

earnings (78 percent in 2002)

has risen sharply since 1979

(63 percent).

 The women’s-to-men’s earnings

ratio for minority workers is

higher than for whites. In 2002,

black women earned 91 percent

of what black men did; among

Hispanics, the earnings ratio

was 88 percent. In contrast,

white women’s earnings were 78

percent of white men’s.

1979 1982 1985 1988 1991 1994 1997 2000

60

65

70

75

80

60

65

70

75

80

7. In the 1980s and early 1990s, women's earnings increased substantially

as a percent of men's

Percent Percent

Earnings are median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers.

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics

8. Women continue to earn less than men in every major age group

Women's earnings as

a percent of men's

Women's earnings as

a percent of men's

16 years

and older 16 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 years

and older

Age

Earnings are median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers.

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics

 The women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio has increased in every major age group over the

1979–2002 period. The ratio is

highest in the youngest age

categories.

 Care should be taken in interpreting these data, however, as

they provide only a snapshot

of earnings patterns in 2002.

Older women faced a different

social and economic climate at

the start of their work lives

than that which exists for

young women today. Consequently, the lifetime earnings

pattern of today’s older

women may not be a reliable

guide to the lifetime earnings

pattern of today’s younger

women.

1979

2002

62.5

77.9 78.6

93.4

67.5

84.7

58.2

75.5

57.0

74.6

61.3

72.2

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20

40

60

80

100
50 Monthly Labor Review October 2003

Women at Work

9. The trend in real earnings since 1979 was more favorable for women

than for men at all levels of education

Percent change in real earnings, 1979–2002

Percent change in real earnings, 1979–2002

Change in median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers age 25 and

older, adjusted using the CPI–U–RS.

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics

2 8

2

3 3

2 0

1 3

– 3

8

–13

– 7

–27

Total, 25 years

 and older

Bachelor's degree

 and higher

 Some college or

associate's degree

 High school graduates,

 no college

Less than a high

 school diploma

 Overall, real earnings for women

25 years and older increased by

28 percent from 1979–2002, while

men’s real earnings were little

changed.

 Women with a high school diploma or more education experienced an increase in real earnings.

For men, only college graduates

saw an increase; all other education groups experienced a decline

in real earnings.

 While women fared better than

men over this time period, in part

they were playing “catch up” to

men. The growth in women’s

earnings reflects in large part the

fact that the proportion of working women with a college education grew, more women moved

into higher-paying managerial

and professional jobs, and

women began working year round

in increasing numbers.

-40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

-40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Women

Men