Women have increased their representation in the labor force over time. In this post, we discuss how this process has differed by age group.
The FRED graph above tracks women’s share among the employed for two age groups: 20-24 years old and 35-44 years old. Women in both age groups have increased their share of employment since 1950, although growth slowed considerably after 1990.
In the younger group, women account for about 50% of total employment today, implying that young women are just as likely to work as young men. In the older group, which includes a greater representation of the married population, women account for about 46% of total employment. This smaller share reflects the fact that, within marriages, mothers are still more likely than fathers to specialize in childcare. Still, this share has increased dramatically from its 1950 level of 30%, when it was much more common for women to completely exit the labor force while raising children.
A couple of observations about women in the younger group:
First, their overall increase in employment share was smaller compared with the older group’s, given that younger women are less likely to have children and therefore more likely to be working, even back in the 1950s.
Second, their share declined in the 1950s, which may seem puzzling given the overall upward trend in women’s employment share. This decline was driven by falling labor force participation among younger women. Doepke, Hazan, and Maoz (2015) argue that these young women faced increased labor market competition, prompting them to forgo entry into the workforce in favor of marriage and childrearing, fueling the US baby boom. They explain that this increased competition came from higher labor force participation rates of women that had entered the workforce during World War II.
How this graph was created: Search FRED for and select “Employment Level – 35-44 Yrs., Women.” From the “Edit Graph” panel, use the “Edit Line 1” tab’s “Customize Data” option: Use the “Select…” bar to search for and select “Employment Level – 35-44 Yrs., Men” and add the series. In the “Formula” field, type (a/(a+b)) and select “Apply” to create the share of the employed that are females. Under the “Modify Frequency” tab, select “Semiannual” to smooth the timeseries. Now, from the “Add Line” tab, search for and select “Employment Level – 20-24 Yrs., Women” and repeat the previous steps to add “Employment Level – 20-24 Yrs., Women/(Employment Level – 20-24 Yrs., Women + Employment Level – 20-24 Yrs., Men)” to the graph. Last, use the “Format” tab to customize the line colors.
Suggested by Oksana Leukhina and Mickenzie Bass.
