Today is International Women’s Day. The program is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. International Women’s day is celebrated in coordination with other parallel programs such as “A Day Without Women.”
In celebration of the achievements of working women and the work still left to do, here are some facts about ladies and work.
- 57% of women participate in the labor force
- 70% of women with children under 18 participate in the labor force
- For every $1 made by a father with children under 18, mothers earn 74.7 cents.
- The pay gap for all women is 82.1 cents compared to all men.
- Mothers are the sole or primary breadwinner for a record 40% of households today compared with 11% of families in 1960.
- Women make up 64% of part-time workers and 43% of full time workers.
- The current unemployment rate for women is 5.2% versus 5.4% for men.
- The most common occupations for women are administrative assistants, teachers and nurses.
- The occupations that have the largest pay differences for women compared to men are financial mangers, educational administrators and accountants.
- The education and nonprofit sector is leading the way in closing the gap between male and female leaders. In this sector, women are being hired for 47% of leadership positions. Healthcare and pharmaceuticals also has a high number of women in leadership with 40% of women being hired into leadership positions.
Want more interesting figures? Visit the U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau.
