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Women in the Labor Force in 2005
- Of the 117 million women age 16 years and over in the U.S., 69 million (almost 60%) 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 2014.
- Women are projected to account for 51% of the increase in total labor force growth between 2004 and 2014.
- There were a record 66 million employed women in the U.S.
- The largest percentage of employed women (38%) worked in management, professional, and related occupations; 35% 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 (44% and 39%, respectively) worked in management, professional, and related occupations. For black and Hispanic women, it was sales and office occupations--both at 33%.
- The unemployment rate for both women and men was 5.1%.
- The unemployment rate, however, varied substantially among female racial groups: Asian women, 3.9%; white women, 4.4%; Hispanic women, 6.9%; and black women, 9.5%.
- The median weekly earnings of women who were full-time wage and salary workers were $585, or 81 percent of men’s $722. When comparing the median weekly earnings of persons aged 16 to 24, young women earned 93% of what young men earned ($381 and $409, respectively).
- The ten occupations with the highest median weekly earnings among women who were full-time wage and salary workers were
Pharmacists, $1,483;
Chief executives, $1,413;
Lawyers, $1,354;
Computer software engineers, $1,174;
Physicians and surgeons, $1,134;
Computer and information systems managers, $1,094;
Medical and health services managers, $1,026;
Computer programmers, $1,014;
Physical therapists, $1,014; and
Human resource managers, $998
Women accounted for 50% 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; loan counselors and officers; property, real estate, and community association managers; social and community service managers; preschool, kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers; and registered nurses.
- 75% of employed women worked on full-time jobs, while 25% worked on a part-time basis.
- Of persons aged 25 years and older, 27% of women had attained a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with 29% of men. 32% of both, women and men, had completed 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, 32.9% were labor force participants; high school diploma, no college, 53.8%; some college, but no degree, 63.9%; associate degree, 71.9%; and bachelor’s degree or higher, 72.9%.
- For women age 25 and over with less than a high school diploma, their unemployment rate was 9.7%; high school diploma, no college, 4.8%; some college, but no degree, 4.5%; associate degree, 3.3%; and bachelor’s degree or higher, 2.4%.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment and Earnings, 2005 Annual Averages and the Monthly Labor Review, November 2005.
Other Articles in Women in Business
 Women in the Labor Force in 2005
Older Women Workers, ages 55 and over
Quick Fact on Saving for Retirement and Security
Strengthening the Family in the 21st Century Initiatives
Be a WAHM! Aka Work At Home Mom
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