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In Focus: National Women's History Month 2008
"Generations of Women Moving History Forward"
National Women’s History Month’s roots go back to March 8, 1857, when women from New York City factories staged a protest over working
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| Women in the United States not only vote in huge numbers, but volunteer to help run elections. Above, precinct chair Judy Wittkop explains the rules during a caucus in Le Mars, Iowa, January 3, 2008. (© AP Images) |
The theme of this year's National Women's History Month is "Generations of Women Moving History Forward."
Facts for Features: Women’s History Month: March 2008
153.6 million - The number of females in the United States as of Oct. 1, 2007. The number of males is 149.4 million. <Population Estimates> As of July 1, 2006, males outnumbered females through age 41. Starting at 42, women outnumbered men. At 85 and older, there were more than twice as many women as men. <Population Estimates> 62.4 million - Number of married women (including those who are separated or have an absent spouse) in 2006. There were 59.8 million unmarried (widowed, divorced or never married) women. <2006 American Community Survey>
Motherhood
82.8 million - Estimated number of mothers of all ages in the United States. (Source: unpublished data from Survey of Income and Program Participation) 1.9 - Average number of children that women 40 to 44 had given birth to as of 2004, down from 3.1 children in 1976, the year the Census Bureau began collecting such data. Likewise, the percentage of women in this age group who were mothers was 81 percent in 2004, down from 90 percent in 1976. Source: <Census: Fertility of American Women>
Earnings
$32,649 - The median annual earnings of women 16 or older who worked year-round, full time, in 2006. Women earned 77 cents for every $1 earned by men. 98 cents - The amount women ($48,586) in the District of Columbia, who worked year-round, full time, earned for every $1 their male counterparts earned ($49,544) in 2006. Among all states or state equivalents, the district was where women were closest to earnings parity with men. Connecticut, Maryland and New Jersey were the only states where median earnings for women were greater than $40,000. $61,081 - Median earnings of women working in computer and mathematical jobs, the highest for women among the 22 major occupational groups. In the community and social services group, women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s earnings were higher than 90 percent. Source: <American Community Survey>
Education
32% - Percent of women 25 to 29 who had attained a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2006, which exceeded that of men in this age range (25 percent). Eighty-eight percent of women and 84 percent of men in this same age range had completed high school. 86% - Percent of women 25 and older who had completed high school as of 2006. High school graduation rates for women continued to exceed those of men (85 percent). 26.8 million - Number of women 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more education in 2006, more than double the number 20 years earlier. 27% - Percent of women 25 and older who had obtained a bachelor’s degree or more as of 2006. This rate was up 11 percentage points from 20 years earlier. Source: <Educational Attainment in the U.S.: 2006>
894,000 - The projected number of bachelor’s degrees that will be awarded to women in the 2007-08 school year, who are also projected to earn 380,000 master’s degrees during this period. Women would, therefore, earn 59 percent of the bachelor’s and 61 percent of the master’s degrees awarded during this school year. In addition, women would earn a majority (52 percent) of first-professional degrees, such as law and medical. Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Projections of Education Statistics to 2015 <http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006084>
Voting
65% - Percentage of female citizens 18 and older who reported voting in the 2004 presidential election. Sixty-two percent of their male counterparts cast a ballot. Source: <Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2004> 
League of Women Voters representatives
writing and printing news releases – on the
sidewalk -- during the 1920 campaign.
(Hutton Archive/Getty Images)
Jobs
37% - Percent of females 16 or older who work in management, professional and related occupations, compared with 31 percent of males. 22 million - Number of female workers in educational services, health care and social assistance industries. More women work in this industry group than in any other. Within this industry group, 11 million work in the health care industry and 8.4 million in educational services. Source: <2006 American Community Survey> 84,000 - Number of female police officers. In addition, there are about 9,000 women firefighters, 315,000 lawyers, 278,000 physicians and surgeons, and 37,000 pilots. Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2008, Tables 598 and 1050. <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/>
Military
202,000 - Total number of active duty women in the military, as of Sept. 30, 2006. Of that total, 34,000 women were officers, and 168,000 were enlisted. 15% - Proportion of members of the armed forces who were women, as of Sept. 30, 2006. In 1950, women comprised less than 2 percent. Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2008, Table 498. <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/>
The Spirit of Volunteerism
30% - Percentage of women who volunteer. The corresponding rate for men is 23 percent. Overall, 36 million women perform unpaid volunteer activities. Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2008, Table 568. <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/>
Last updated: March 11, 2008
