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Women have been in the work force for more than 100 years, but in honor of the 100th Anniversary of the Women’s Bureau, find the top 10 occupations women have held in each decade since 1920. This data also includes the number of women in the labor force in each decade, and the percentage of women in the top 10 occupations.

 

100 Years of Working Women
Year Number of women in the labor force Share of women employed in top 10 occupations Top 10 occupations of employed women Number of employed women in the occupation
1920 8,179,017 52.8% Other domestic and personal service 669,491
1920 8,179,017 52.8% Teachers 622,877
1920 8,179,017 52.8% Stenographers and typewriters 567,784
1920 8,179,017 52.8% Clerks (n.e.c.) 442,753
1920 8,179,017 52.8% Farm laborers, home farm 396,625
1920 8,179,017 52.8% Launderers and laundresses 384,083
1920 8,179,017 52.8% Salesmen and saleswomen, stores 350,552
1920 8,179,017 52.8% Bookkeepers and cashiers 337,418
1920 8,179,017 52.8% Cooks 266,801
1920 8,179,017 52.8% Farmers, general farms 240,385
1930 10,500,803 66.2% Operatives (n.e.c.) 1,386,515
1930 10,500,803 66.2% Other domestic and personal service 1,056,567
1930 10,500,803 66.2% Teachers 834,686
1930 10,500,803 66.2% Stenographers and typists 720,533
1930 10,500,803 66.2% Clerks 623,131
1930 10,500,803 66.2% Salesmen or saleswomen 494,337
1930 10,500,803 66.2% Bookkeepers and cashiers 435,255
1930 10,500,803 66.2% Farm laborers, unpaid family workers 363,806
1930 10,500,803 66.2% Cooks 341,186
1930 10,500,803 66.2% Launderers and laundresses 330,241
1940 12,812,181 67.9% Operatives (n.e.c.) 1,848,824
1940 12,812,181 67.9% Private household workers (n.e.c.) 1,430,286
1940 12,812,181 67.9% Stenographers, typists, and secretaries 1,022,543
1940 12,812,181 67.9% Teachers 783,205
1940 12,812,181 67.9% Clerks (n.e.c.) 687,593
1940 12,812,181 67.9% Salesmen and saleswomen 520,291
1940 12,812,181 67.9% Bookkeepers, accountants, and cashiers 443,570
1940 12,812,181 67.9% Waiters and waitresses 360,424
1940 12,812,181 67.9% Proprietors, managers, and officials (n.e.c.) 339,282
1940 12,812,181 67.9% Housekeepers, private family 330,497
1950 16,663,485 69.8% Operatives (n.e.c.) 2,461,939
1950 16,663,485 69.8% Stenographers, typists, and secretaries 1,558,546
1950 16,663,485 69.8% Clerks (n.e.c.) 1,508,694
1950 16,663,485 69.8% Salesmen and sales clerks 1,284,339
1950 16,663,485 69.8% Private household workers (n.e.c.) 1,140,029
1950 16,663,485 69.8% Teachers 867,229
1950 16,663,485 69.8% Nurses 604,329
1950 16,663,485 69.8% Bookkeepers 584,381
1950 16,663,485 69.8% Waiters and waitresses 568,036
1950 16,663,485 69.8% Managers, officials, and proprietors (n.e.c.) 558,545
1960 22,226,500 56.1% Clerks (n.e.c.) 1,725,420
1960 22,226,500 56.1% Salesmen and sales clerks 1,492,980
1960 22,226,500 56.1% Secretaries 1,423,660
1960 22,226,500 56.1% Operatives (n.e.c.) 1,323,320
1960 22,226,500 56.1% Private household workers (n.e.c.) 1,146,260
1960 22,226,500 56.1% Teachers 1,106,800
1960 22,226,500 56.1% Nurses 824,320
1960 22,226,500 56.1% Bookkeepers 766,040
1960 22,226,500 56.1% Waiters and waitresses 709,220
1960 22,226,500 56.1% Managers, officials, and proprietors (n.e.c.) 619,980
1970 30,688,800 42.1% Secretaries 2,625,600
1970 30,688,800 42.1% Teachers 1,823,800
1970 30,688,800 42.1% Sales clerks, retail 1,446,900
1970 30,688,800 42.1% Bookkeepers 1,265,400
1970 30,688,800 42.1% Nurses 1,042,800
1970 30,688,800 42.1% Waiters 931,000
1970 30,688,800 42.1% Typists 915,800
1970 30,688,800 42.1% Sewers and stitchers 811,300
1970 30,688,800 42.1% Cashiers 677,800
1970 30,688,800 42.1% Maids, private household 660,500
1980 44,649,840 41.1% Secretaries 3,820,700
1980 44,649,840 41.1% Teachers 2,398,240
1980 44,649,840 41.1% Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks 1,635,320
1980 44,649,840 41.1% Nurses 1,628,020
1980 44,649,840 41.1% Cashiers 1,426,940
1980 44,649,840 41.1% Managers and administrators (n.e.c.) 1,352,680
1980 44,649,840 41.1% General office clerks 1,350,780
1980 44,649,840 41.1% Waiters and waitresses 1,194,800
1980 44,649,840 41.1% Sales workers (n.e.c.) 1,150,240
1980 44,649,840 41.1% Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants 1,136,960
1990 56,553,832 36.3% Secretaries 3,823,250
1990 56,553,832 36.3% Teachers 2,987,327
1990 56,553,832 36.3% Nurses 2,148,271
1990 56,553,832 36.3% Cashiers 1,993,017
1990 56,553,832 36.3% Bookkeepers, accounting, and auditing clerks 1,656,513
1990 56,553,832 36.3% Managers and administrators (n.e.c.) 1,615,184
1990 56,553,832 36.3% Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants 1,497,257
1990 56,553,832 36.3% General office clerks 1,158,162
1990 56,553,832 36.3% Supervisors and proprietors, sales occupations 1,157,845
1990 56,553,832 36.3% Sales workers (n.e.c.) 1,148,866
2000 64,553,954 33.6% Secretaries and administrative assistants 3,597,416
2000 64,553,954 33.6% Teachers 3,466,434
2000 64,553,954 33.6% Nurses 2,602,376
2000 64,553,954 33.6% Cashiers 2,028,267
2000 64,553,954 33.6% Retail salespersons 1,780,975
2000 64,553,954 33.6% Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks 1,523,026
2000 64,553,954 33.6% Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides 1,465,386
2000 64,553,954 33.6% Customer service representatives 1,396,909
2000 64,553,954 33.6% Childcare workers 1,254,406
2000 64,553,954 33.6% Waiters and waitresses 1,235,786
2010 74,279,640 33.3% Teachers 3,984,836
2010 74,279,640 33.3% Secretaries and administrative assistants 3,427,510
2010 74,279,640 33.3% Nurses 3,139,854
2010 74,279,640 33.3% Cashiers 2,410,152
2010 74,279,640 33.3% Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides 1,926,489
2010 74,279,640 33.3% Retail salespersons 1,735,213
2010 74,279,640 33.3% Customer service representatives 1,504,923
2010 74,279,640 33.3% Waiters and waitresses 1,480,519
2010 74,279,640 33.3% First-line supervisors of retail sales workers 1,309,252
2010 74,279,640 33.3% Maids and housekeeping cleaners 1,269,181
2018 78,607,961 32.8% Teachers 4,239,366
2018 78,607,961 32.8% Nurses 3,910,538
2018 78,607,961 32.8% Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides 2,965,314
2018 78,607,961 32.8% Secretaries and administrative assistants 2,745,575
2018 78,607,961 32.8% Cashiers 2,419,322
2018 78,607,961 32.8% Customer service representatives 2,083,533
2018 78,607,961 32.8% Retail salespersons 1,680,220
2018 78,607,961 32.8% Waiters and waitresses 1,571,530
2018 78,607,961 32.8% First-line supervisors of retail sales workers 1,468,669
2018 78,607,961 32.8% Managers (n.e.c.) 1,428,557
         

Notes: Occupation estimates include women ages 16 and over in the labor force (1920) and civilian employed women ages 16 and over (1930-2018). Labor force estimates include all women ages 16 and over who are employed or unemployed. The classification of occupations changes every 10 years. As a result, some occupations increase or decline in size as a result of being combined or split out from other occupations. Individual occupation categories are not strictly comparable over time. The occupations presented are the top 10 occupations in the decade they occurred. "Operatives, n.e.c." were primarily employed in manufacturing jobs. "n.e.c." means "not elsewhere classified".

Data: 1920-2000 Decennial Census and 2010 and 2018 American Community Survey public use microdata files