Chances are greater than 99 out of 100 that women will work in the paid labor force at some time in their lives. There has been a remarkable increase in the proportion of mothers who work. This is partly a result of non-economic factors such as changes in the attitudes of society toward working mothers and the desires of women themselves, as well as economic factors such as inflation, recession, falling wages, divorce, and unemployment of husbands. Most women meet the usual demands of housework and family care in addition to the work in the labor force. The responsibilities of work and home life have changed little for most married men, while for most wives, home responsibilities follow traditional patterns despite the profound change in their lives outside their families.
Women of color are significantly behind other women on almost every dimension of advancement.
Much remains to be done to give every woman the opportunity to make a better life. Their median age increased from 31 years in 1980 to 34 in 1990. During the 1980s, the number of teenagers and young adults declined, while the number of middle-aged and older women grew rapidly. Slightly more males than females are born each year, and during childhood, there are more males than females. Men are more likely than women to immigrate, and the 1980s saw major immigration flows into the U.S., so the population of younger and middle-aged men grew more than the population of women this age.