Census Bureau Facts for Features
A product of the U.S. Census Bureau's Public Information Office
CB98-FF.03 February 24, 1998 Women's History Month: March 1-31 Population distribution - On December 1, 1997, there were 137.2 million women and 131.6 million men in the United States. At older ages, women outnumber men by large margins: 20.1 million to 14.1 million at ages 65 years and over; 2.8 million to 1.1 million at ages 85 and over; and 50,000 to 11,000 among centenarians. http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/nation/intfile2-1.txt - In 1995, the life expectancy for women stood at 79 years; for men, it was 73 years. Projections for 2010 show life expectancy will be 81 years and 74 years, respectively. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-199.html Education - In 1996, 82 percent of the nation's women age 25 and over had at least a high school diploma, while 21 percent had earned at least a bachelor's degree. For men, the proportion with a high school diploma was not significantly different from women, but the percentage of men with a bachelor's degree was somewhat higher (26 percent). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-122.html - Among 25- to 29-year-olds in 1996, women (88 percent) were slightly more likely than men (87 percent) to be at least high school graduates. Women in this age group were more likely to hold at least a bachelor's degree (28 percent) than men (26 percent). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-122.html - Women comprise an increasing share of people being awarded college degrees. They constituted 55 percent of people awarded bachelor's degrees, 55 percent of those receiving masters' and 39 percent of the doctorates in 1994. In 1971, the respective percentages were 43 percent, 40 percent and 14 percent. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-199.html Earnings and Jobs - The female-to-male earnings ratio reached a new high in 1996 for persons working full time and year-round. The real median earnings for women rose 2.4 percent between 1995 and 1996 to $23,710, which is about 74 percent of the median for men ($32,144, down 0.9 percent from 1995). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-162.html - The numbers show women are here to stay in the nation's work force. Of the 107.1 million women 15 years of age and over, 66.7 million worked during 1996 36.5 million of them full time, year-round. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-162.html - In 1996, 70 percent of women who were married with children were in the labor force, up from 40 percent in 1970. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-199.html - The percentage of women age 16 and over who were in the labor force in 1996 ranged from 70 percent in several states to 48 percent in West Virginia. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-199.html - Women are becoming better represented in many previously male-dominated professions. Among employed civilians, the proportion of women lawyers, for example, climbed from 15 percent in 1983 to 30 percent in 1996. Over the same period, the percentage of female physicians rose from 16 percent to 26 percent and the percentage of female economists climbed from 38 percent to 54 percent. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-199.html Motherhood - Of the 60 million women ages 15 to 44 in 1995, 3.7 million had a child during the previous year. More than half (55 percent) of the women who gave birth were in the labor force. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-192.html - Women ages 15 to 44 who had children as of 1995 had an average of two children each. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-192.html - In 1995, 42 percent of 15- to 44-year-old women and 18 percent of 40- to 44-year-old women were childless. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-192.html - Of the 23 million women ages 15 to 44 who had never been married as of 1995, 21 percent had given birth to at least one child. Of teens 15 to 19, 8 percent had at least one child. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-192.html - Women in their early 30s are more likely to be childless today than they used to be: 27 percent of women 30 to 34 were childless in 1995; in 1976, it was 16 percent. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-192.html Marriage and Family - In 1997, 58 percent of women 18 years old and over were married, 20 percent had never married and 11 percent each were widowed and divorced. http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/ms-la.html - Women are marrying later than in years past: their estimated median age at first marriage was 24.5 years in 1995 about four years older than in 1965. http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/ms-la.html - There were 9.9 million single mothers and 1.9 million single fathers in 1996. The total of single mothers includes those who maintain their own household (7.7 million) and those who live in the homes of relatives or nonrelatives. The number of single mothers has jumped more than 50 percent since 1980, when it was 6.2 million. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-110.html - In 1995, 15 percent of women 18 years old and over lived alone. For elderly women, the figure was 42 percent. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb96-200.html Businesses - The number of women-owned businesses in the United States reached 6.4 million in 1992. Women-owned businesses make up 33 percent of all domestic firms and 40 percent of all retail and service firms. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb96-07.html - Women-owned businesses generated $1.6 trillion in revenues and employed 13.2 million people in 1992. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb96-07.html The preceding facts come from the Current Population Survey, population estimates, the Statistical Abstract of the United States and the Survey of Women-Owned Businesses. Data in this Census Bureau Facts for Features are subject to nonsampling errors. Some are also subject to sampling variability. See referenced sources for detailed limitations. Each month, the Census Bureau will provide previously released statistics pertaining to selected events or holidays occurring that month. Questions or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau's Public Information Office (Tel: 301-457-3030; Fax: 301-457-3670; E-mail: pio@census.gov).
