Monthly Labor Review • July/August 2007 35

Visual Essay: Labor Force Status of Families

Labor force status of families: 

a visual essay

This visual essay presents highlights of data on employment and unemployment within families. Over time, 

work patterns within families have changed dramatically, particularly as women—notably married women 

and mothers—have entered the labor force. Labor force patterns vary by family type and by race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.

The estimates in this visual essay are based on data from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a national sample survey of about 60,000 households conducted monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau. For 

more information about the employment characteristics of families, see www.bls.gov/news.release/famee.nr0.htm.

The number of families maintained by women has grown 

substantially as a proportion of 

all families over time. In March 

2006, almost 2 in 10 families 

were maintained by women. That 

was nearly twice the proportion 

in March 1970. 

The share of families maintained 

by men grew from 2 to 7 percent 

over the same period.

A family is a group of two or 

more persons residing together 

who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption; children need 

not be members of the group. 

Families are classified either as 

married-couple families or as 

families maintained by men or 

by women without spouses.

Data on children refer to the 

family’s own children and include 

sons, daughters, stepchildren, and 

adopted children. Not included 

are nieces, nephews, grandchildren, other children related to the 

family, and all unrelated children 

living in the household.

•

•

•

•

•

1. The proportion of all families maintained by men or by women 

with no spouse present has grown substantially

Married-couple families

(87 percent)

Married-couple families

(75 percent)

Stella Potter Cromartie

Families 

maintained 

by men 

(2 percent) Families 

maintained 

by women 

(11 percent)

Families 

maintained 

by men 

(7 percent)

Families 

maintained 

by women 

(19 percent)

Percent distribution of families by family type

March 1970 March 2006
Visual Essay: Labor Force Status of Families

36 Monthly Labor Review • July/August 2007

2. Nearly half of black families are maintained by women

Percent

100

80

60

40

20

0

The composition of black families is quite different from that 

of white, Asian, and Hispanic or 

Latino families. In March 2006, 

46 percent of black families were 

maintained by women, compared 

with 14 and 12 percent, respectively, for their white and Asian 

counterparts. About 23 percent of 

Hispanic or Latino families were 

maintained by women.

Black families are the least likely 

to be married-couple families. In 

March 2006, nearly half of black 

families were married couples, 

compared with about 80 percent 

of both white and Asian families, 

and nearly 70 percent of Hispanic 

or Latino families.

Data are not shown for all race 

groups. Hispanics or Latinos may 

be of any race and, therefore, are 

classified by ethnicity as well as by 

race.

In March 2006, about 7 out of 

10 mothers of children under 18 

years were labor force participants. 

Mothers with younger children 

were less likely to be in the labor 

force than were mothers of older 

children. For example, participation rates in March 2006 ranged 

from 60 percent for mothers 

whose youngest child was under 3 

years to 77 percent for those whose 

youngest child was 6 to 17 years.

Labor force participation rates 

for mothers have changed little in 

recent years, following several decades of growth.

Among mothers with children 

under 3 years, the labor force participation rate edged down from 

62 percent in March 1998 to 60 

percent in March 2006.

•

•

•

•

•

•

Married-couple families

Families maintained by women

Families maintained by men

White Black Asian Hispanic or 

Latino

100

80

60

40

20

 0

Percent

Percent distribution of families by family type, 

March 2006

3. After rising dramatically for decades, labor force participation

 rates for mothers have changed little in recent years 

Percent Percent

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

1975 1978 1981 1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005

3 to 5 years

Labor force participation rates of mothers by age of youngest child, 

March 1975 to March 2006

Under 3 years

6 to17 years

Total, under 

18 years
Monthly Labor Review • July/August 2007 37

Family work patterns reflect both changes in family 

structure and changes in women’s labor force participation. 

The share of all families that had a husband and 

wife in the labor force increased from 34 percent in 

March 1975 to 42 percent by the mid-1990s. Since 

then, the proportion has changed little (41 percent 

in March 2006), reflecting the leveling-off of wives’ 

labor force participation growth.

•

•

4. Work patterns in families have changed remarkably over time

The proportion of all families that were marriedcouple families in which only the husband was a labor force participant fell from 35 percent in March 

1975 to 17 percent in March 2006. 

The share of all families that were maintained by 

women in the labor force grew from 7 percent in 

March 1975 to about 13 percent by March 1997; 

their proportion has remained essentially the same 

since then. The share of all families that were maintained by men in the labor force went from 2 percent 

to 5 percent between March 1975 and March 2006.

•

•

Percent

50

1975 1979 1981 1985 1987 1989 1993 1997 1999 2003 2005

40

30

20

10

 0

50

40

30

20

10

 0

1977 1983 1991 1995 2001

Married-couple families with both husband and wife in the labor force

All other families

Married-couple families with husband, but 

not wife, in the labor force

Families maintained by women in the labor force

Families maintained by men in the labor force

Percent distribution of families by family type and labor force status of family members, March 1975–2006

Percent
Visual Essay: Labor Force Status of Families

38 Monthly Labor Review • July/August 2007

The labor force participation rate 

of married women rose by about 

30 percentage points from 1960 to 

the mid-1990s. Since then, however, there has been little further 

change. 

The rate for married men, which 

had trended downward, also has 

been essentially flat over the past 

several years.

Overall, about 4 in 5 families had 

an employed member in 2006. 

Families maintained by women 

were somewhat less likely than 

other families to have an employed 

member.

In about 62 percent of marriedcouple families with employed 

members, both spouses were employed. In 24 percent of marriedcouple families with employed 

members, only the husband was 

employed. 

The householder was the only 

worker in about 57 percent of 

families maintained by women 

that have at least one employed 

member, compared with about 

46 percent of such families maintained by men. A householder is 

the person (or one of the persons) 

in whose name the housing unit is 

owned or rented.

•

•

•

•

•

5. Following decades of growth, the labor force participation 

 rate of married women has changed little since the mid-1990s

6. Most families have an employed member

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

100 100

90 90

80 80

70 70

60 60

50 50

40 40

30 30

Married men

Married women

Labor force participation rates of married men and women, 

annual averages, 1960–2006

Total families

Marriedcouple 

families

Families 

maintained 

by women

Families 

maintained 

by men

0 20 40 60 80 100

Percent of families with an employed member, 

annual averages, 2006

Percent Percent
Monthly Labor Review • July/August 2007 39

Asian families were most likely 

to have at least one employed 

member (90 percent), followed 

by Hispanic or Latino families 

(87 percent), white families (83 

percent), and black families (78 

percent).

Part of the reason for the difference by race and ethnicity is that 

a smaller percentage of Asian (13 

percent) or white (15 percent) 

families are maintained by women than are Hispanic or Latino 

(24 percent) or black (45 percent) 

families. Families maintained by 

women are less likely to have an 

employed member than are other 

families.

Children in married-couple 

families are more likely to live 

with at least one employed parent (97 percent) than are children 

in families maintained by women 

(69 percent) or in families maintained by men (84 percent).

More than 90 percent of both 

white children and Asian children lived with an employed 

parent, compared with about 88 

percent of Hispanic or Latino 

children and 78 percent of black 

children.

•

•

•

•

7. Asian families are most likely to have an employed member

8. Nine out of 10 children live with an employed parent

Total 

families

White 

families

Black 

families

Asian 

families

Hispanic 

or Latino 

families

0 20 40 60 80 100

Percent of families with an employed member, 

annual averages, 2006

100

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20

40

60

80

Percent of children with an employed parent, 

annual averages, 2006

All children In marriedcouple familiesIn families 

maintained 

by women

In families 

maintained 

by men

Percent Percent
Visual Essay: Labor Force Status of Families

40 Monthly Labor Review • July/August 2007

In 2006, 4.9 million families had 

at least one member who was unemployed, down from 5.3 million 

in 2005. 

Typically, families maintained by 

women or by men are more likely 

than married-couple families to 

contain an unemployed member. About 10 percent of families 

maintained by women or by men 

had an unemployed member in 

2006, compared with 5 percent of 

married-couple families.

The proportion of black families 

with an unemployed member 

(about 11 percent) continued to be 

about twice that for white families 

(6 percent) and Asian families (5 

percent). 

Among Hispanic or Latino families, 8 percent had an unemployed 

member.

•

•

•

•

9. Fewer than 1 in 10 families has an unemployed member

10. Black families are those most likely to have at least one

 unemployed member

Total 

families

Marriedcouple 

families

Families 

maintained 

by women

Families 

maintained 

by men

0 5 10 15 20

Percent of families with an unemployed member, 

annual averages, 2006

Total 

families

White 

families

Percent of families with an unemployed member, 

annual averages, 2006

Black 

families

Asian 

families

Hispanic 

or Latino 

families

0 5 10 15 20
Monthly Labor Review • July/August 2007 41

Of the 4.9 million families with 

an unemployed member in 2006, 

about 70 percent also had at least 

one worker.

Families maintained by women or 

by men that have an unemployed 

member are less likely to have at 

least one member employed (47 

percent and 58 percent, respectively) than are married-couple 

families with an unemployed 

member (82 percent). 

Black families with an unemployed member were less likely 

than other families to also have at 

least one employed member (58 

percent). 

Asian families with an unemployed 

member were considerably more 

likely to have one or more persons 

employed (80 percent) than were 

white (73 percent) or Hispanic or 

Latino (69 percent) families with 

an unemployed member.

•

•

•

•

11. Most families with an unemployed member also 

 have someone who is employed

12. The proportion of families with an unemployed member that

 also had at least one employed member was lowest for blacks

Total 

families

Marriedcouple 

families

Families 

maintained 

by women

Families 

maintained 

by men

0 20 40 60 80 100

Percent of families with an unemployed member that also have an 

employed member, annual averages, 2006

Total 

families

White 

families

Black 

families

Asian 

families

Hispanic 

or Latino 

families

0 20 40 60 80 100

Percent of families with an unemployed member that also have an 

employed member, annual averages, 2006