December 08, 2006 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Large increase in women’s educational attainment

The educational attainment level of working women age 25 to 64 rose substantially from 1970 to 2005.

Percent distribution of the civilian labor force 25 to 64 years of age by educational attainment, women, 1970-2005 annual averages
[Chart data—TXT]

About 3 in 10 women in the labor force held college degrees in 2005, compared with about 1 in 10 in 1970.

About 8 percent of women in the labor force in 2005 were high school dropouts, compared with 34 percent in 1970.

These data on women and education are from the Current Population Survey. To find out more, see BLS Report 996, Women in the Labor Force: A Databook (2006 Edition). 

 

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