The percentage of adult women who work increased from 26 percent in 1940 to 60 percent in 1997. Moreover, in the 1990s, more than 70 percent of women between the ages of twenty and fifty-four have been in the labor force. Greater numbers of women are succeeding in traditionally male-dominated professions. Between 1970 and 1998 women's representation increased from 5 to 29 percent of lawyers, from 27 to 66 percent of public relations specialists, and from 39 to 62 percent of psychologists. Congress was at a record high.
Studies show that women's chances of winning electoral office are equal to men's.
Other traditionally male-dominated areas have shown similar growth in the numbers of female professionals. In addition to the outstanding gains women are making in the professions, women nationwide have been starting their own small businesses and succeeding. The number of women-owned businesses more than doubled between 1987 and 1997. Women are starting businesses at twice the rate of men. The majority of such businesses are in the service sector, accounting for 52 percent, followed by retail trade, with 19 percent, followed by finance, insurance, and real estate with 10 percent.