diversity statistics header diversitybstore nav bar diversity events nav bar jobs nav barconsultants nav bar submissions nav bar customer service nav bar search the site nav bar

Empower your employees to learn and change. Put more than 1,000 diversity articles, tools and resources into their hands! License or Subscribe today!

See your text ad here!

diversity events

Statistics of the Month - March
March is National Women's History Month, but this month's statistics highlight women in the workforce today

By Molly Elfers

Women In The Workforce Today

Of the 120 million women age 16 years and over in the U.S., 71 million, or 59.3%, were labor force participants—working or looking for work.

Women comprised 46% of the total U.S. labor force and are projected to account for 47% of the labor force in 2016.

Women are projected to account for 49% of the increase in total labor force growth between 2006 and 2016.

A record 68 million women were employed in the U.S. - 75% of employed women worked on full-time jobs, while 25% worked on a part-time basis.

The largest percentage of employed women (39%) worked in management, professional, and related occupations; 34% worked in sales and office occupations; 20% in service occupations; 6% in production, transportation, and material moving occupations; and 1% in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.

The largest percentage of employed Asian and white women (47% and 39%, respectively) worked in management, professional, and related occupations. For both black and Hispanic women, it was sales and office occupations--33%.

The unemployment rate for women was 4.5% and for men it was 4.7% in 2007. For Asian women, it was 3.4 %; white women, 4.0%; Hispanic women, 6.1%; and black women, 7.5%.

The median weekly earnings of women who were full-time wage and salary workers were $614, or 80 percent of men's $766. When comparing the median weekly earnings of persons aged 16 to 24, young women earned 92% of what young men earned ($409 and $443, respectively).

The ten occupations with the highest median weekly earnings among women who were full-time wage and salary workers were as follow:

  1. Pharmacists, $1,603;
  2. Chief executives, $1,536;
  3. Lawyers, $1,381;
  4. Computer and information systems managers, $1,363;
  5. Computer software engineers, $1,318;
  6. Psychologists, $1,152
  7. Physical therapists, $1,096;
  8. Management analysts, $1083;
  9. Computer programmers, $1074; and
  10. Human resource managers, $1073

Women accounted for 51% of all workers in the high-paying management, professional, and related occupations. They outnumbered men in such occupations as financial managers; human resource managers; education administrators; medical and health services managers; accountants and auditors; budget analysts; property, real estate, and social and community association managers; preschool, kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers; physical therapists; and registered nurses.

Of persons aged 25 years and older, 28% of women and 30% of men had attained a bachelor's degree or higher; 32% of women and 31% of men had completed only high school, no college.

The higher a person's educational attainment, the more likely they will be a labor force participant (working or looking for work) and the less likely they will be unemployed.

For women age 25 and over with less than a high school diploma, 33% were labor force participants; high school diploma, no college, 54%; some college, but no degree, 66%; associate degree, 71%; and bachelor's degree or higher, 73%.

For women age 25 and over with less than a high school diploma, their unemployment rate was 8.2%; high school diploma, no college, 4.3%; some college, but no degree, 4.1%; associate degree, 3.1%; and bachelor's degree or higher, 2.1%.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment and Earnings, 2007 Annual Averages and the Monthly Labor Review, November 2007.

Disclaimer: Although we try to use the most credible sources, we are not responsible for any incorrect findings.

Read more:

© 2009 The GilDeane Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Information on this site may not be reproduced in part or in full in any form without written permission from The GilDeane Group, Inc. 13751 Lake City Way NE, Suite 210, Seattle, Washington, 98125-8612.

 

 cdw archive chanel header archive sub chanel log in archive sub chanel search archive sub chanel subscribe archive sub chanel renew archive sub chanel aboutlearning chanel header learning sub chanel home learning sub chanel dilemma learning sub chanel insights learning sub chanel quiz learning sub chanel global learning sub chanel signsinclusion chanel header inclusion sub chanel home inclusion sub chanel statistics inclusion sub chanel leader profile inclusion sub chanel nominate a leader inclusion sub chanel legal inclusion sub chanel accountability inclusion sub chanel case inclusion sub chanel legal inclusion sub chanel recruitment inclusion sub chanel updatepractitioners chanel header practitioners sub chanel home inclusion sub chanel tips inclusion sub chanel news and trends inclusion sub chanel tipsdiversity central chanel header diversity central sub chanel home diversity central sub chanel gildeane group diversity central sub chanel nw learning series diversity central sub chanel about diversity central sub chanel contact diversity central sub chanel sitemap diversity central sub chanel links