May 26, 2005 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Women, men, and unions, 1983 - 2004

Thirteen percent of female wage and salary workers were represented by unions in 2004, compared with 15 percent of men.

[Chart data—TXT]

Union attachment for both groups has fallen since 1983, when unions represented 18 percent of female wage and salary workers and nearly 28 percent of men.

These data are from the Current Population Survey, a monthly survey of households conducted by the Bureau of Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These and other data on working women are presented in Women in the Labor Force: A Databook, Report 985. Workers represented by unions includes members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union, as well as workers who are not members but whose jobs are covered by a union or employee association contract.  

 

Related TED article:

• Differences in women's earnings by educational level