Research

Women in the Workforce: United States (Quick Take)

Oct 14, 2020

POPULATION

The Overall Population in the United States Is Aging, But at A Slower Pace Than It Is in Other Developed Countries Such as Japan1

Between 2016 and 2060, the number of people 65 and older is expected to nearly double.2

People 65 and older are projected to become almost a quarter (23%) of the population by 2060, compared to 15% in 20163 and 9% in 1960.4

The Nation Is Becoming More Diverse

The population of non-Hispanic White people is declining. This group accounted for 60.1% of the population in 2019, a decrease of nine percentage points since 2000.5

  • The Latinx population had the largest gains over the same time period, reaching 18.5% in 2019 (an increase of nearly six percentage points).6
  • The population of Asian Americans also increased from 3.8% in 2000 to 5.9% in 2019.7
  • The Black population has remained nearly the same, increasing slightly from 12.1% in 2000 to 12.5% in 2019.8
  • People of color made up nearly 40% of the population in 2019.9

By 2045, the United States is projected to experience a demographic shift in which non-Hispanic White people of all ages will constitute less than 50% of the total population.10

Diversity Is Especially Concentrated in Younger Age Groups

For the first time, over half of the US population under 16 identified as a person of color in 2019.11

Generation Z is the most racially and ethnically diverse generation.12

  • In 2019, just over half (52%) were non-Hispanic White people.13
    • In comparison, when Millennials were at a similar age range (7-22 years old) in 2003, just over three in five (61%) were non-Hispanic Whites.14
  • One quarter (25%) were Latinx, 14% were Black, 6% were Asian, and 5% were another race or two or more races.15

EDUCATION

Women Earn More Degrees Than Men

For the class of 2017–2018, women earned more than half of bachelor’s degrees (57.3%), master’s degrees (60.1%), and doctorate degrees (53.5%).16

  • Among all racial/ethnic groups, women outperformed men at all degree levels in 2017–2018. This was especially noteworthy for Black women, who attained the lion’s share of bachelor’s (63.9%), master’s (69.8%), and doctor’s (65.2%) degrees compared to Black men.17

In 2016-2017, women earned just over half (50.7%) of all professional degrees, including:18

  • 49.6% of degrees in law (LLB or JD).
  • 47.4% of degrees in medicine (MD).
And They Have Earned More Degrees Than Men for Some Time

Women have earned more bachelor’s degrees than men since 1982, more master’s degrees than men since 1987, and more doctorate degrees than men since 2006.19

LABOR FORCE

Covid-19 Is Disrupting Women’s Labor Force Participation

Women’s labor force participation peaked in 1999 at about 60.0% and has been declining since then.20

  • Men’s labor force participation has decreased since the 1950s.21

In 2019, there were 76,852,000 women aged 16 and over in the labor force, representing close to half (47.0%) of the total labor force.22

  • 57.4% of women participated in the labor force, compared to 69.2% of men.23

Women are recovering some of the job losses experienced at the beginning of the pandemic, gaining the majority (64.6%) of non-farm jobs in June and July.24

  • Compared to February 2020 numbers, women’s employment is down 9%, while men’s employment is down 7.8%.25
  • Unemployment for women between the ages of 20 and 24 is almost double that of women aged 25 to 54.26
Women’s Labor Force Participation Is Critical for the Future of Work

Some estimate that women are more likely than men to lose their jobs due to automation.27

  • Over half (58%) of the workers in the most at-risk occupations are women.28
  • Latinas are the most likely to suffer, with one in three working in a high-risk field.29

Others predict that automating routine tasks creates new, more complex jobs, which may present better opportunities for women.30

Adding more diverse women to the AI workforce is one way to reduce bias in the field.31

LEADERSHIP

More Than Half of Management Occupations Are Held by Women

In 2019, women held 51.8% of all management, professional, and related occupations.32

The 2020 Fortune 500 list published in May revealed a record high for the number of women CEOs (37). In comparison, men held 463 CEO positions in the Fortune 500.33

The Overwhelming Majority of Boards Are Still Dominated by Men

In 2019, men held 74% of S&P 500 board seats, while women held 26%.34

  • In the top 200 companies in the S&P 500, only 6% of board seats were held by women of color. Four percent were held by Black women, 1% by Latinas, and 1% by Asian women.35

In 2018, men held 77.5% of Fortune 500 board seats, while women held 22.5%.36

  • Only 4.6% of these seats were held by women of color.37

THE PAY GAP

Women in the United States Earn Approximately 82 Cents for Every $1 Earned by Men38

Women of color have a large gender wage gap and experience significant cumulative lifetime wage loss as a result.39

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Full list of Catalyst Quick Takes.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Women in the Labor Force: A Databook (December 2019).

Catalyst, Quick Take: Covid-19’s Detrimental Effect on Gender Equality.

Catalyst, Quick Take: Women’s Earnings—The Wage Gap.

Catalyst, Quick Take: Women of Color in the United States.

Catalyst, Quick Take: Working Parents.

Institute for Women’s Policy Research, “Status of Women in the States.”

US Census Bureau, “Women’s History Month: March 2020.”

 

How to cite this product: Catalyst, Quick Take: Women in the Workforce—United States (October 14, 2020).

  1. Jonathan Vespa, Lauren Medina, and David M. Armstrong, “Demographic Turning Points for the United States: Population Projections for 2020 to 2060,” Current Population Reports (U.S. Census Bureau, February 2020): p. 5.
  2. Jonathan Vespa, Lauren Medina, and David M. Armstrong, “Demographic Turning Points for the United States: Population Projections for 2020 to 2060,” Current Population Reports (U.S. Census Bureau, February 2020): p. 2.
  3. Jonathan Vespa, Lauren Medina, and David M. Armstrong, “Demographic Turning Points for the United States: Population Projections for 2020 to 2060,” Current Population Reports (U.S. Census Bureau, February 2020): p. 1-3.
  4. Mark Mather, Linda A. Jacobsen, and Kelvin M. Pollard, “Aging in the United States,” Population Bulletin, vol. 70, no. 2 (Population Reference Bureau, December 2015): p. 2-3.
  5. William H. Frey, “The Nation Is Diversifying Even Faster than Predicted, According to New Census Data,” The Brookings Institution, July 1, 2020.
  6. William H. Frey, “The Nation Is Diversifying Even Faster than Predicted, According to New Census Data,” The Brookings Institution, July 1, 2020.
  7. William H. Frey, “The Nation Is Diversifying Even Faster than Predicted, According to New Census Data,” The Brookings Institution, July 1, 2020.
  8. William H. Frey, “The Nation Is Diversifying Even Faster than Predicted, According to New Census Data,” The Brookings Institution, July 1, 2020.
  9. William H. Frey, “The Nation Is Diversifying Even Faster than Predicted, According to New Census Data,” The Brookings Institution, July 1, 2020.
  10. Jonathan Vespa, Lauren Medina, and David M. Armstrong, “Demographic Turning Points for the United States: Population Projections for 2020 to 2060,” Current Population Reports (U.S. Census Bureau, February 2020): p. 7.
  11. William H. Frey, “The Nation Is Diversifying Even Faster than Predicted, According to New Census Data,” The Brookings Institution, July 1, 2020.
  12. Sources vary on the definitions and birth years for generations. Pew defines the end of the Millennial generation as 1996 and the beginning of Generation Z as 1997. Kim Parker and Ruth Igielnik, “On the Cusp of Adulthood and Facing an Uncertain Future: What We Know About Gen Z So Far,” Pew Research Center, May 14, 2020.
  13. Kim Parker and Ruth Igielnik, “On the Cusp of Adulthood and Facing an Uncertain Future: What We Know About Gen Z So Far,” Pew Research Center, May 14, 2020.
  14. Kim Parker and Ruth Igielnik, “On the Cusp of Adulthood and Facing an Uncertain Future: What We Know About Gen Z So Far,” Pew Research Center, May 14, 2020.
  15. Kim Parker and Ruth Igielnik, “On the Cusp of Adulthood and Facing an Uncertain Future: What We Know About Gen Z So Far,” Pew Research Center, May 14, 2020.
  16. National Center for Education Statistics, “Table 318.30: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctor’s Degrees Conferred by Postsecondary Institutions, by Sex of Student and Discipline Division: 2017-18,” 2019 Tables and Figures, Digest of Education Statistics (2019).
  17. National Center for Education Statistics, “Table 322.20: Bachelor’s Degrees Conferred by Postsecondary Institutions, by Race/Ethnicity and Sex of Student: Selected Years, 1976-77 through 2017-18,” 2019 Tables and Figures, Digest of Education Statistics (2019); National Center for Education Statistics, “Table 323.20: Master’s Degrees Conferred by Postsecondary Institutions, by Race/Ethnicity and Sex of Student: Selected Years, 1976-77 through 2017-18,” 2019 Tables and Figures, Digest of Education Statistics (2019); National Center for Education Statistics, “Table 324.20: Doctor’s Degrees Conferred by Postsecondary Institutions, by Race/Ethnicity and Sex of Student: Selected Years, 1976-77 through 2017-18,” 2019 Tables and Figures, Digest of Education Statistics (2019).
  18. National Center for Education Statistics, “Table 324.50: Degrees Conferred by Postsecondary Institutions in Selected Professional Fields, by Sex of Student, Control of Institution, and Field of Study: Selected Years, 1985-86 through 2015-16,” 2018 Digest of Education Statistics (2018).
  19. National Center for Education Statistics, “Table 318.10: Degrees Conferred by Postsecondary Institutions, by Level of Degree and Sex of Student: Selected Years, 1869-70 through 2029-30,” 2019 Tables and Figures, Digest of Education Statistics (2019).
  20. Economists attribute women’s decline in labor force participation to several factors, including an increase in the years spent in education. Richard Fry and Renee Stepler, “Women May Never Make Up Half of the U.S. Workforce,” FactTank (Pew Research Center, January 31, 2017); Kevin S. Dubina, Teresa L. Morisi, Michael Rieley, and Andrea B. Wagoner, “Projections Overview and Highlights, 2018-28,” Monthly Labor Review (October 2019).
  21. Richard Fry and Renee Stepler, “Women May Never Make Up Half of the U.S. Workforce,” FactTank (Pew Research Center, January 31, 2017).
  22. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Table 3: Employment Status of the Civilian Noninstitutional Population by Age, Sex, and Race,” Current Population Survey (2020).
  23. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Table 3: Employment Status of the Civilian Noninstitutional Population by Age, Sex, and Race,” Current Population Survey (2020).
  24. Institute for Women’s Policy Research, “Halting Recovery Leaves Women’s Unemployment in Double Digits, and Women’s Payroll Employment Still 6.9 Million Below Pre-Crisis Levels,” Quick Figures, August 10, 2020.
  25. Institute for Women’s Policy Research, “Halting Recovery Leaves Women’s Unemployment in Double Digits, and Women’s Payroll Employment Still 6.9 Million Below Pre-Crisis Levels,” Quick Figures, August 10, 2020.
  26. Institute for Women’s Policy Research, “Halting Recovery Leaves Women’s Unemployment in Double Digits, and Women’s Payroll Employment Still 6.9 Million Below Pre-Crisis Levels,” Quick Figures, August 10, 2020.
  27. Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Women, Automation, and the Future of Work (March 13, 2019).
  28. Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Women, Automation, and the Future of Work (March 13, 2019).
  29. Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Women, Automation, and the Future of Work (March 13, 2019).
  30. Sandra Sancier-Sultan and Julia Sperling, Women and the Future of Work: A Window of Opportunity in Western Europe? (McKinsey & Company, November 2018).
  31. Catalyst, Trend Brief: Gender Bias in AI (March 12, 2019).
  32. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Table 11: Employed Persons by Detailed Occupation, Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity,” Current Population Survey (2020).
  33. Catalyst, Historical List of Women CEOs of the Fortune Lists: 1972-2020 (May 2020).
  34. Spencer Stuart, 2019 U.S. Spencer Stuart Board Index (2019): p. 8.
  35. Spencer Stuart’s analysis of race/ethnicity among board representation examined the top 200 organizations of the S&P 500. Spencer Stuart, 2019 U.S. Spencer Stuart Board Index, (unpublished data) (2019).
  36. Deloitte and Alliance for Board Diversity, Missing Pieces Report: The 2018 Board Diversity Census of Women and Minorities on Fortune 500 Boards (2019): p. 17.
  37. Deloitte and Alliance for Board Diversity, Missing Pieces Report: The 2018 Board Diversity Census of Women and Minorities on Fortune 500 Boards (2019): p. 17.
  38. Amanda Fins, “Fact Sheet: Women and the Lifetime Wage Gap: How Many Woman Years Does it Take to Equal 40 Man Years?” (National Women’s Law Center, March 2020).
  39. Amanda Fins, “Fact Sheet: Women and the Lifetime Wage Gap: How Many Woman Years Does it Take to Equal 40 Man Years?” (National Women’s Law Center, March 2020).