March 2011

BLS Spotlight on Statistics: Women at Work

Chart Data

How Women Spend their Time

Average hours per week women spent in selected primary activities, by age and educational attainment, 2009
Age and educational attainment Household Activities Leisure and Sports Working and work related activities

Age (years)

     

15 to 19

6.0 36.8 6.9

20 to 24

10.0 32.7 22.1

25 to 34

13.2 28.6 27.0

35 to 44

16.7 27.4 26.3

45 to 54

17.3 32.2 27.3

55 to 64

18.3 36.2 20.9

65 to 74

21.1 44.0 6.9

75 years and over

19.5 51.7 1.3

Educational attainment (age 25 and over)

     

Less than a high school diploma

20.0 43.1 10.7

High school graduates, no college

18.6 38.9 16.7

Some college or associate degree

16.7 32.4 23.3

Bachelor's degree and higher

15.2 28.6 27.4

NOTE: These estimates are averages across women who were employed and those who were not employed. Some of the variation appearing in the chart is due to these differences.

Source: American Time Use Survey | Chart

 

Average Annual Expenditures by Single Women

Percent distribution of average annual expenditures by single women, by level of income before taxes, selected expenditures, 2008–09
Item Average annual expenditures
All single women Less than $5,000 $5,000-$9,999 $10,000-$14,999 $15,000-$19,999 $20,000-$29,999 $30,000-$39,999 $40,000 and more

Shelter

$7,352 $4,705 $4,172 $4,824 $5,975 $6,924 $8,058 $12,479

Transportation

$3,833 $1,589 $2,138 $1,896 $2,906 $3,773 $4,960 $6,847

Food

$3,342 $2,700 $2,449 $2,680 $2,671 $2,929 $3,587 $4,871

Utilities

$2,411 $1,340 $1,728 $2,089 $2,452 $2,597 $2,737 $3,054

Healthcare

$2,313 $1,140 $1,182 $1,998 $2,787 $2,563 $2,616 $2,925

Entertainment

$1,540 $806 $802 $850 $998 $1,567 $1,612 $2,843

Apparel and services

$1,007 $716 $564 $565 $760 $863 $890 $1,863

Source: Consumer Expenditure Survey | Chart

 

Educational Attainment of Young Women

Educational attainment of young women during the October when ages 18 to 23 in 1998-2008, percent distribution
Age High school dropouts Enrolled in high school High school graduates and GED recipients not enrolled in college Enrolled in college Bachelor's degree or more

18

13.7 23.6 21.9 40.8  

19

13.9 3.6 32.2 50.3  

20

11.3   41.3 46.2 0.1

21

10.8   44.9 42.5 1.4

22

10.2   47.8 29.1 12.8

23

9.5   50.7 16.2 23.4

Source: National Longitudinal Surveys | Chart

 

Fatal Occupational Injuries

Percentage of total fatal occupational injuries, men and women workers, by event, 2009
Percentage of total fatal occupational injuries

Fatal injury event

Men (total fatalities = 4,021)(p) Women (total fatalities = 319)(p)

Transportation incidents

38 43

Assaults and violent acts

17 30

Falls

14 13

Exposure to harmful substances and environments

9 6

Contact with objects and equipment

18 4

Fires and explosions

3 3

Footnotes:
(p) Preliminary

Source: Injuries, Illnesses and Fatalities | Chart

 

Ratio of Women's to Men's Earnings by Occupation

Ratio of women's to men's earnings, selected occupations, 2010
Occupation Women's earnings as a percentage of men's earnings

Combined food preparation and serving workers

112.1

Bill and account collectors

109.5

Stock clerks and order fillers

105.1

Postal service clerks

94.5

Social workers

91.1

Editors

88.3

Registered nurses

86.5

Pharmacists

83.2

Computer and information systems managers

81.8

Total, 16 years and over

81.2

Postsecondary teachers

77.3

Lawyers

77.1

Insurance sales agents

66.7

Property, real estate, and community association managers

65.3

Retail salespersons

64.7

Personal financial advisors

58.4

Source: Current Population Survey | Chart

 

Women's Earnings and Employment by Occupation

Usual median weekly earnings and employment of full-time wage and salary women workers, selected occupations, 2009
Occupation Median weekly earnings Employment

Cashiers

$ 361 903,000

Waiters & waitresses

363 509,000

Child care workers

364 388,000

Cooks

371 441,000

Maids & housekeeping cleaners

371 664,000

Personal & home care aides

406 424,000

Nursing, psychiatric, & home health aides

430 1,258,000

Retail salespersons

443 786,000

Receptionists & information clerks

516 778,000

Customer service representatives

587 997,000

Office clerks, general

594 594,000

Preschool & kindergarten teachers

614 487,000

Social workers

774 496,000

Elementary & middle school teachers

891 1,986,000

Accountants & auditors

902 857,000

Secondary school teachers

940 603,000

Postsecondary teachers

1,030 428,000

Registered nurses

1,035 1,931,000

Education administrators

1,093 407,000

Occupational therapists

1,155 58,000

Management analysts

1,177 186,000

Computer programmers

1,182 91,000

Physicians & surgeons

1,228 211,000

Computer software engineers

1,311 192,000

Lawyers

1,449 239,000

Pharmacists

1,475 92,000

Source: Current Population Survey | Chart

 

Employment by Industry

Employment of women, by industry, 1964–2010
Year Mining and logging Construction Information Federal government State government Other services Manufacturing

1964

54,000 204,000 797,000 548,000 714,000 264,000 4,000,000

1965

54,000 207,000 817,000 561,000 774,000 294,000 4,213,000

1966

55,000 213,000 852,000 631,000 847,000 342,000 4,624,000

1967

56,000 215,000 877,000 699,000 937,000 394,000 4,755,000

1968

56,000 223,000 896,000 736,000 1,019,000 449,000 4,881,000

1969

58,000 237,000 923,000 750,000 1,093,000 505,000 5,047,000

1970

60,000 250,000 929,000 750,000 1,132,000 540,000 4,849,000

1971

60,000 265,000 923,000 742,000 1,124,000 573,000 4,649,000

1972

62,000 288,000 938,000 776,000 1,165,000 615,000 4,869,000

1973

65,000 314,000 968,000 810,000 1,225,000 662,000 5,234,000

1974

71,000 335,000 984,000 829,000 1,296,000 728,000 5,225,000

1975

79,000 323,000 957,000 836,000 1,382,000 782,000 4,686,000

1976

84,000 349,000 982,000 904,000 1,457,000 849,000 5,006,000

1977

88,000 377,000 1,014,000 1,010,000 1,519,000 927,000 5,262,000

1978

97,000 413,000 1,061,000 1,045,000 1,546,000 1,019,000 5,594,000

1979

112,000 442,000 1,106,000 1,063,000 1,581,000 1,104,000 5,810,000

1980

123,000 458,000 1,118,000 1,136,000 1,641,000 1,185,000 5,676,000

1981

140,000 465,000 1,140,000 1,133,000 1,668,000 1,263,000 5,702,000

1982

144,000 459,000 1,128,000 1,140,000 1,646,000 1,317,000 5,385,000

1983

128,000 471,000 1,111,000 1,177,000 1,593,000 1,381,000 5,363,000

1984

129,000 517,000 1,169,000 1,206,000 1,687,000 1,481,000 5,673,000

1985

130,000 559,000 1,192,000 1,250,000 1,785,000 1,591,000 5,620,000

1986

121,000 596,000 1,204,000 1,274,000 1,857,000 1,697,000 5,578,000

1987

112,000 626,000 1,234,000 1,300,000 1,928,000 1,808,000 5,638,000

1988

113,000 645,000 1,275,000 1,320,000 2,009,000 1,943,000 5,740,000

1989

112,000 656,000 1,289,000 1,341,000 2,079,000 2,069,000 5,786,000

1990

112,000 656,000 1,324,000 1,378,000 2,137,000 2,164,000 5,702,000

1991

114,000 628,000 1,319,000 1,329,000 2,173,000 2,184,000 5,501,000

1992

109,000 599,000 1,295,000 1,335,000 2,197,000 2,181,000 5,410,000

1993

105,000 609,000 1,304,000 1,321,000 2,238,000 2,236,000 5,377,000

1994

102,000 636,000 1,334,000 1,306,000 2,281,000 2,269,000 5,430,000

1995

98,000 666,000 1,380,000 1,285,000 2,326,000 2,333,000 5,462,000

1996

96,000 700,000 1,433,000 1,261,000 2,316,000 2,376,000 5,418,000

1997

99,000 730,000 1,481,000 1,240,000 2,324,000 2,435,000 5,466,000

1998

100,000 769,000 1,514,000 1,184,000 2,354,000 2,517,000 5,484,000

1999

96,000 818,000 1,600,000 1,174,000 2,412,000 2,570,000 5,386,000

2000

92,000 846,000 1,697,000 1,231,000 2,464,000 2,614,000 5,359,000

2001

90,000 832,000 1,684,000 1,148,000 2,534,000 2,677,000 5,039,000

2002

85,000 827,000 1,554,000 1,155,000 2,621,000 2,769,000 4,574,000

2003

80,000 822,000 1,428,000 1,173,000 2,599,000 2,779,000 4,290,000

2004

80,000 841,000 1,366,000 1,168,000 2,562,000 2,776,000 4,197,000

2005

79,000 890,000 1,333,000 1,177,000 2,575,000 2,772,000 4,135,000

2006

82,000 944,000 1,306,000 1,194,000 2,630,000 2,814,000 4,057,000

2007

93,000 947,000 1,285,000 1,202,000 2,651,000 2,854,000 4,001,000

2008

101,000 916,000 1,260,000 1,224,000 2,684,000 2,880,000 3,848,000

2009

98,000 801,000 1,170,000 1,257,000 2,628,000 2,824,000 3,390,000

2010 (p)

98,000 724,000 1,106,000 1,288,000 2,643,000 2,840,000 3,268,000

Footnotes:
(p) Preliminary

 

Employment of women, by industry, 1964–2010 — continued
Year Financial activities Leisure and hospitality Professional and business services Local government Trade, transportation, and utilities Education and health services

1964

1,310,000 1,244,000 958,000 2,509,000 3,521,000 2,474,000

1965

1,342,000 1,342,000 1,039,000 2,689,000 3,715,000 2,570,000

1966

1,396,000 1,441,000 1,175,000 2,953,000 3,914,000 2,735,000

1967

1,471,000 1,523,000 1,295,000 3,128,000 4,069,000 2,907,000

1968

1,555,000 1,628,000 1,427,000 3,285,000 4,231,000 3,090,000

1969

1,661,000 1,752,000 1,563,000 3,373,000 4,480,000 3,273,000

1970

1,745,000 1,822,000 1,631,000 3,546,000 4,623,000 3,403,000

1971

1,814,000 1,888,000 1,691,000 3,698,000 4,672,000 3,526,000

1972

1,869,000 1,984,000 1,795,000 3,883,000 4,791,000 3,676,000

1973

1,970,000 2,103,000 1,922,000 4,048,000 5,053,000 3,835,000

1974

2,074,000 2,223,000 2,070,000 4,218,000 5,290,000 4,045,000

1975

2,119,000 2,281,000 2,143,000 4,309,000 5,335,000 4,227,000

1976

2,203,000 2,424,000 2,302,000 4,363,000 5,589,000 4,437,000

1977

2,339,000 2,578,000 2,494,000 4,574,000 5,867,000 4,679,000

1978

2,529,000 2,778,000 2,724,000 4,846,000 6,278,000 4,954,000

1979

2,697,000 2,938,000 2,934,000 5,051,000 6,636,000 5,211,000

1980

2,848,000 3,021,000 3,096,000 5,252,000 6,799,000 5,459,000

1981

2,966,000 3,103,000 3,264,000 5,226,000 6,935,000 5,702,000

1982

3,009,000 3,157,000 3,347,000 5,108,000 7,023,000 5,883,000

1983

3,088,000 3,284,000 3,471,000 5,147,000 7,236,000 6,089,000

1984

3,239,000 3,548,000 3,716,000 5,258,000 7,749,000 6,387,000

1985

3,437,000 3,788,000 3,952,000 5,408,000 8,193,000 6,707,000

1986

3,677,000 3,975,000 4,175,000 5,574,000 8,509,000 7,018,000

1987

3,863,000 4,162,000 4,415,000 5,738,000 8,827,000 7,344,000

1988

3,933,000 4,361,000 4,711,000 5,904,000 9,199,000 7,739,000

1989

3,999,000 4,528,000 4,975,000 6,106,000 9,467,000 8,109,000

1990

4,055,000 4,829,000 5,105,000 6,340,000 9,363,000 8,422,000

1991

4,036,000 4,806,000 5,026,000 6,483,000 9,243,000 8,840,000

1992

4,022,000 4,876,000 5,160,000 6,630,000 9,176,000 9,141,000

1993

4,114,000 4,994,000 5,399,000 6,767,000 9,259,000 9,454,000

1994

4,196,000 5,192,000 5,682,000 6,943,000 9,564,000 9,822,000

1995

4,164,000 5,382,000 5,979,000 7,088,000 9,870,000 10,181,000

1996

4,241,000 5,520,000 6,273,000 7,255,000 10,043,000 10,474,000

1997

4,359,000 5,640,000 6,704,000 7,426,000 10,230,000 10,779,000

1998

4,515,000 5,760,000 7,030,000 7,627,000 10,413,000 11,042,000

1999

4,605,000 5,933,000 7,370,000 7,866,000 10,658,000 11,323,000

2000

4,638,000 6,082,000 7,680,000 8,076,000 10,859,000 11,586,000

2001

4,726,000 6,224,000 7,591,000 8,333,000 10,768,000 12,037,000

2002

4,755,000 6,215,000 7,314,000 8,551,000 10,466,000 12,474,000

2003

4,830,000 6,319,000 7,248,000 8,565,000 10,321,000 12,786,000

2004

4,831,000 6,516,000 7,360,000 8,606,000 10,364,000 13,073,000

2005

4,896,000 6,708,000 7,574,000 8,637,000 10,535,000 13,408,000

2006

5,031,000 6,903,000 7,779,000 8,395,000 10,627,000 13,764,000

2007

4,959,000 7,054,000 8,007,000 8,725,000 10,849,000 14,178,000

2008

4,813,000 7,056,000 7,946,000 9,000,000 10,782,000 14,574,000

2009

4,606,000 6,861,000 7,472,000 9,014,000 10,233,000 14,851,000

2010 (p)

4,491,000 6,804,000 7,437,000 8,861,000 10,001,000 15,090,000

Footnotes:
(p) Preliminary

Source: Current Employment Statistics | Chart

 

Labor Force Participation Rates by Country

Women's labor force participation rates, selected countries, 1970–2009
Year Labor force participation rates for women (in percent)
United
States
Canada Japan   Germany  Italy  Nether-
lands
Sweden United
Kingdom

1970

43.3 38.3 48.7 38.4 26.4 (na) 50.0 (na)

1971

43.4 39.4 47.7 38.5 26.3 (na) 50.9 44.6

1972

43.9 40.2 46.8 39.0 25.6 (na) 51.5 44.9

1973

44.7 41.9 47.3 39.5 26.1 28.5 51.7 45.8

1974

45.7 43.0 45.7 39.4 26.5 28.7 53.3 46.4

1975

46.3 44.4 44.8 39.3 26.8 29.5 55.2 46.6

1976

47.3 (b) 46.2 44.9 39.3 27.6 29.9 55.9 46.7

1977

48.4 47.0 45.7 39.3 28.9 30.6 56.7 46.9

1978

50.0 48.5 46.4 39.6 28.8 31.1 57.5 47.4

1979

50.9 49.8 46.6 39.9 29.5 32.1 58.5 48.0

1980

51.5 51.0 46.6 40.3 30.1 34.3 59.3 48.6

1981

52.1 52.3 46.7 40.7 30.4 36.7 60.1 48.6

1982

52.6 52.2 47.0 40.7 30.3 37.9 60.5 48.1

1983

52.9 53.0 48.0 40.5 30.5 (b) 37.1 60.8 48.4

1984

53.6 53.9 47.8 (b) 40.7 30.5 38.0 61.1 50.2

1985

54.5 55.0 (b) 47.8 41.2 30.7 37.9 61.5 50.7

1986

55.3 55.7 47.8 41.4 (b) 31.9 40.2 61.7 51.4

1987

56.0 56.5 47.8 41.7 32.1 (b) 41.0 (b) 61.9 52.1

1988

56.6 57.4 48.0 42.3 32.3 42.4 62.4 52.9

1989

57.4 58.1 48.7 42.7 32.5 42.6 62.8 53.6

1990

57.5 58.5 49.3 43.1 32.7 44.2 63.0 54.0

1991

57.4 58.4 49.9 (b) 47.7 (b) 33.2 45.3 62.4 53.6

1992

57.8 57.8 50.0 47.4 33.3 (b) 46.0 61.3 53.1

1993

57.9 57.6 49.7 47.2 (b) 34.5 46.3 60.1 53.3

1994

(b) 58.8 57.4 49.5 47.1 34.2 47.1 59.2 53.2

1995

58.9 57.3 49.3 47.1 34.4 48.7 59.5 53.5

1996

59.3 57.3 49.4 47.4 34.7 49.5 59.4 53.8

1997

59.8 57.8 49.8 47.8 34.9 50.9 58.6 54.2

1998

59.8 58.5 49.4 48.2 35.6 51.5 58.0 54.3

1999

60.0 59.1 48.8 (b) 48.3 36.2 52.9 58.1 54.9

2000

59.9 59.5 48.7 48.4 36.6 (b) 54.0 59.2 55.2

2001

59.8 59.8 48.5 48.6 37.2 55.0 59.5 55.1

2002

59.6 61.0 47.9 48.7 37.6 56.1 59.9 55.5

2003

59.5 61.9 47.6 48.8 38.4 (b) 56.3 59.9 55.6

2004

59.2 62.0 47.7 49.2 38.3 56.7 59.8 55.9

2005

59.3 61.8 47.6 (b) 50.3 37.9 57.2 (b) 60.6 56.1

2006

59.4 62.1 47.9 51.2 38.1 57.8 60.8 56.6

2007

59.3 62.7 48.1 51.6 37.9 59.0 61.3 56.4

2008

59.5 62.8 48.0 51.8 38.6 59.5 61.2 56.6

2009

59.2 62.6 48.2 52.1 38.2 60.0 60.6 56.8

Footnotes:
(b) Break in series; see Country notes for more information.
(na) Not available.

Source: International Labor Comparisons | Chart

 

Labor Force by Educational Attainment

Percentage of women in civilian labor force, aged 25 to 64 years, by educational attainment, 1970 and 2010
Year Percent distribution, by level of education attained
Less than a high school diploma High school graduates, no college Some college, or associates degree College graduates

1970

33.5 44.3 10.9 11.2

2010

6.8 26.4 30.3 36.4

NOTES:

  1. Due to rounding, the sum of percent distributions does not equal 100.
  2. For data in 1970, educational attainment categories are based on the number of years of school completed (i.e. less than 4 years of high school, 4 years of high school and no college, 1 to 3 years of college, and 4 years or more of college).

Source: Current Population Survey | Chart

 

Labor Force Projections by Age

Percent and net change in women's civilian labor force, by age, 2008–18
Age group Percent change Net change Projected labor force level in 2018

16-19

-13.0 -439,000 2,946,000

20-24

1.3 89,000 7,198,000

25-34

10.7 1,611,000 16,641,000

35-44

-2.6 -411,000 15,678,000

45-54

-4.4 -759,000 16,316,000

55-64

39.0 4,005,000 14,275,000

65-74

89.8 2,030,000 4,291,000

75 and older

61.4 336,000 883,000

Source: Employment Projections Program | Chart

 

 

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