At the dawn of a new century, women are taking the lead in the United States labor force, while also balancing family responsibilities. Here are a few statistics from the United States Department of Labor:
• 57 percent of women participate in the labor force
• 70 percent of women with children under the age of 18 are working
• 26 percent of the people employed in computer and mathematical occupations are women
www.fastcompany.com
When women work, economies grow, according to Unwomen, a global champion for gender equality. Here are a few of the benefits when women go to work outside the home:
Faster economic growth. When there’s an increase in female labor force participation—or a reduction in the gap between women’s and men’s labor force participation—it results in faster economic growth.
Children reap the benefits. Increasing the share of household income controlled by women, either through their own earning or cash transfers, changes spending in ways that benefits children.
Higher economic growth. Increasing women and girls’ education contributes to higher economic growth, overall.
Good for business. Companies greatly benefit from increasing leadership opportunities for women, which is shown to increase organizational effectiveness in business.
www.unwomen.org
Though women continue to make strides in the work force, women only hold 4.2 percent of CEO positions in America’s 500 largest companies. Last year, the 2016 Fortune 500 list included only 21 companies with women at the helm.
Fortune.com
80 Cents on the $1
Women are the sole breadwinner or co-breadwinner in half of American families with children, according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. What’s more, they receive more college and graduate degrees than men. Yet on average, women continue to earn considerably less than men. In 2015, full-time, female year-round workers made only 80 cents for every dollar earned by men, a gender wage gap of 20 percent.
www.iwpr.org
