Working Women in the U.S.

Women's participation in labor force activities has greatly expanded since the end of World War II. Immediately following the war, less than one-third of women were in the labour force. However, women soon began to participate in greater numbers, and their labor force participation rose rapidly from the 1960s through the 1980s before slowing in the 1990s. By 1999, women reached the peak of their labor force participation, 60 percent. Since then, however, labor force participation among women has declined. Nonetheless, women's labor force participation remains relatively high by historical standards, particularly among women with children, and a large share of women work full time and year round. This book presents historical and recent labor force and earnings data for women and men from the Current Population Survey (CPS). It examines statistical data and a view of female self-employment of working women in the United States.