46.6% of the workforce is female in the United States. This is based on women’s labor force participation rate of 56.8% compared against men’s labor force participation rate of 67.9%. Accounting for the fact that women are the majority population in the U.S., we find that approximately 46.6% of the workforce is women.
Women’s labor force participation rate was at its highest in 1999, when 60% of working-age women in the U.S. were employed. The pandemic hurt labor force participation among both women and men. However, there are signs of recovery already, as women’s labor force participation rate has increased by 2.2% since April 2020.
Having children is a significant factor in women’s workforce participation. 72.4% of women with children under the age of 18 work, much higher than the overall population of women. Even for mothers with children under the age of 3, the labor participation rate is 63.8%.
What’s interesting is that the pattern goes in the opposite direction for fathers, who tend to work at higher rates with young children and lower rates as children age.
Women Dominated Industries
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Which industries employ the largest percentage of women?
Education and health services employ the largest percentage of women. 74.8% of education and health services employees are women, making them the most women-dominated industries in the U.S. There’s a fairly wide margin between other industries, where women only make up slightly more than half the workforce, like financial activities and leisure & hospitality.
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Which industries employ the smallest percentage of women?
Construction and mining employ the smallest percentage of women. Only 10.3% of workers in the construction industry and 15.8% of those in the mining industry are women.
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What jobs are the most dominated by women?
Preschool and kindergarten teacher jobs are most dominated by women. 98.7% of these early education jobs by women in the U.S. Close behind are dental hygienists, speech-language pathologists, and dental assistants.
Job Share of Workers Who Are Women Preschool and kindergarten teachers 98.7% Dental hygienists 96% Speech-language pathologists 95.8% Dental assistants 94.9% Childcare workers 93.4% Medical records and health information technicians 93.3% Secretaries and administrative assistants 93.2% Medical assistants 92.7% Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists 92.3% Dietitians and nutritionists 92.1% -
What jobs have the lowest rates of women?
Brickmason, blockmason, and stonemason jobs have the lowest rates of women. Only 0.7% of workers in these occupations are women. It’s about the same for drywall installers, ceiling tile installers, and iron and steelworkers.
Job Share of Workers Who Are Women Brickmasons, blockmasons, and stonemasons 0.7% Drywall installers, ceiling tile installers, and tapers 0.7% Structural iron and steel workers 0.9% Miscellaneous vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers 1.3% Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists 1.5% Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians and mechanics 1.5% Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers 1.5% Electrical power-line installers and repairers 1.6% Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators 1.7% Logging workers 1.8%
References
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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Women in the labor force: a databook.” Accessed on February 28, 2022.
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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Labor Force Participation Rate – Women.” Accessed on February 28, 2022.
Author
Matthew Zane is the lead editor of Zippia's How To Get A Job Guides. He is a teacher, writer, and world-traveler that wants to help people at every stage of the career life cycle. He completed his masters in American Literature from Trinity College Dublin and BA in English from the University of Connecticut.
