Full text of Highlights, 1920-1960
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HIGHLIGHTS
1920 - 1960
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
James P. Mitchell, Secretary
WOMEN'S B U R E A U
Mrs. A l i c c K . Leopold, Director
H I G H L I G H
The Past
1920
m i l l i o n women workers
T S
Today - I960
22y m i l l i o n women workers
The average woman worker—single and 28 years o l d
The average woman worker—married and 40 years o l d
Less than 1 out of every 4 women a worker
More than 1 out of every 3 women a worker
About 1 out of every 5 workers was a woman
About 1 out of every 3 workers i s a woman
Largest occupations f o r women ( i n order):
Factory workers; private-household workers;
farm workers; stenographers, t y p i s t s , and
s e c r e t a r i e s ; teachers; saleswomen
Largest occupations f o r women ( i n order):
Factory workers; stenographers, t y p i s t s , and
secretaries; private-household workers; saleswomen; teachers; waitresses and cooks
This l i s t i n g shows the increased importance of
the stenographic group and saleswomen, as w e l l
as the sharp decline among farm workers. However, a variety of other occupations have been
gaining i n importance f o r women—nurses and
other p r o f e s s i o n a l health personnel,
office
workers of many kinds, research workers, techn i c i a n s , l i b r a r i a n s , s o c i a l workers, and spec i a l i s t s i n food and home management
Less than 1/3 m i l l i o n women e n r o l l e d i n college
Degrees granted to women:
16,642 Bachelor's
1,294 Master's
93 Doctorates
A t o t a l of 18,029 degrees
Almost 1 l / 4 m i l l i o n women e n r o l l e d i n college
Degrees granted to women (estimated):
132,000 Bachelor's
23,600 Master's
1,000 Doctorates
A t o t a l of 156,000 degrees—almost 9 times the
number i n 1920
The Future - 1970
30 m i l l i o n women workers
The average woman worker~married and 41 years o l d
Except f o r teen-age g i r l s and women over 65. about 2 out of every 5 women w i l l be a worker
About 1 out of every 3 workers w i l l be a woman
N)
Further expansion i n the employment of women i n occupations i n which they have long been
established, such as teachers, o f f i c e workers, l i b r a r i a n s , s o c i a l workers, home economists, nurses, laboratory technicians, medical and other health workers
Greater opportunities f o r women w i t h the required a b i l i t y and educational q u a l i f i c a t i o n s
as mathematicians, s t a t i s t i c i a n s , s c i e n t i s t s , engineers, technicians of various kinds,
and higher l e v e l o f f i c e workers with t r a i n i n g i n the use of e l e c t r o n i c data processing
and other business machines
Over 2 m i l l i o n women e n r o l l e d i n colleges
Degrees granted to women:
234,000 B a c h e l o r ' s
45,000 Master's
1,700 Doctorates
A t o t a l of 280,700 degrees—almost twice as many as i n 196O
Chart 1.
Women in the Population and Labor Force: 1920-Projected 197 0
(14 Y e a r s a n d O v e r )
36,190,0001
44,013,000 r
POPULATION
] 8,229,000
1920
1940
'50,549,000 L
] 13,015,000
1950
57,103,000 1
116,512,000
1960
64,074,000 L
LABOR
FORCE
10,396,000
1930
I 22,548,000
March
1
1970
77,444,000 [[
29,649,000
Projocfed
Sourc*: U. S. Otparlmtnt of Commcrci. Burtau of th« Ctntut.
,U. S. Otpartmtnt of Labor. Suraiu of Labor SUtlttlc*
The number of women in the lobor force hos increased more roptdly than their number in the population.
In 1 9 2 0 , 2 3 percent of the women were m the labor force; in 1 9 4 0 , 2 6 percent; and t o d o y , 3 5 percent.
Though populotion growth has been the bosic factor in the tremendous rise in the number of women workers, other foctors such as notionol emergencies and high levels of production ond employment since World Warll
hove contributed significantly to this development.
Chart 2.
Men and Women in the Labor Force: 1920 an^ Projected 1970
{14 Years a n d O v e r )
P«rc«nt of a l l work«rs
80%
78%
.
76%
73%
68%
66%
MEN
u^WOMEN
1920
24%
22%
20%
i
1930
i
1940
Sourer U. S. Dfpartnwnl ol Commtrte. Surtau of th§ Ctntui
U S. D«paftni«nl of Labor. Surtau of Labor Statlstks.
I I
27%
1950
34%
32%
I
1960
1970
March
Projected
The proportion of women workers in the labor force has i n c r e a s e d markedly since 1 9 2 0 .
In 1 9 2 0 , the approximately 8 1/4 million women workers represented I out of every 5 workersjin 1940,the
13 million women workers represented about I in 4 workers; today they represent almost I m 3, It is expected
that they will represent
I in 3 by 1970.
Early retirement from the lobor force of older men and the trend toward higher educational attainment
of the younger men ore f a c t o r s which have contributed to the changing proportions of men ond women in the
labor
force.
Chart 3.
Distribution of Women in the Civilian Labor Force: 1920-60
N u m b e r of W o m e n in the Civilian Labor Force
8,229,000
— I
10,396,000
r
1
13,840,000
18,063,000
1940
1950
22,516,000
Percent
100
45
yeori
a n d over
80
25-44
years
60
40
under
25
years
20
1920
1930
1960
(March)
Soutt#j U S D»pirtmtnt of Comm«rt». Bureau of th« Centuf,
U S Drpartmtnt of Labor, Buriau of Labor Statistic*
Important
shifts in ttie age distribution of women workers have token ploce since 1920,partly
because
of the changing age composition of the populotion and partly because of the higher labor force p a r t i c i p a t i o n
rotes of older women.
The proportion of women over 4 5 yeors of age in the lobor force has more thon doubled since 1920.
The proportion of young women under 2 5 in the lobor force has declined to less than holf during t h i s
period.
T h e p r o p o r t i o n of women in the labor force from 2 5 to 4 4 y e a r s of age has remained relatively stable.
A s 0 result, the medion age of women workers has r i s e n from 2 8 to slightly over 4 0 in I 9 6 0 .
Chart 4.
Marital Status of Women in the Labor Force, 1920-59
P«rc«nt
Percent
100
100
/Widowed,/X divorced
V//^
16%//
y
/
Widowed,/
divorced y^
80
80
Single j
Singlel
' 32% "
23%
,Single)
60
60
; and^
unkn
40
40
Married
61%
20
20
0 L
1920
1930
1940
1950
1959
Sourtt. US. Dtpirlment of Conimfrtt. Bureau of ihe CrniuL
US. Otpartmtnt of Ubor. Buretti of Libor StaUsticl.
The trend toword early marrioge» the increasing tendency of
women to seek paid employment, ond
chonqes in women's occupations occount for the striking increose in the proportion of morried women among
women workers.
The rise has been especially rapid since 1940, and has been accompanied by o simultaneous decline in
the proportion of single women workers.
Chart 5.
Occupational Groups of Employed Men and Women: March 1960
C l t r i c a l Workers
Op«rattv«s
Service Workers (except household)
Professional Workers
Private Household
WOMEN
Sales Workers
M a n a g e r s , O f f i c i a l s , Proprietors
Form Laborers, Foremen
Craftsmen, Foremen
Farmers, Form M a n a g e r s
Laborers (except form, mine)
Sourct U S Dfpirtmtnl of Labor. Burtiu of Labor Statiitfci.
Women tend to work in different oocupotions from those in which men work. While they constitute more
thon two-thirds of the clerical workers, there ore few women omong the craftsmen, form managers and workers,and
the unskilled laborers.
Some of these differences ore undoubtedly due to differences in the nature of the work, its requirements
and its suitability or attractiveness to women, but others persist largely because of conventional attitudes toword
women and work.
Women tend to remain concentrated in a few occupotions. While they represent more than one-third of
the professionol workers, most of them ore teachers or nurses. There are still relatively few women among the
scientists,engineers, physicians, lowyers and other professional groups, though their numbers hove been i n creasing in these occupations.
Chart 6.
Distribution of Employed Women,by Major Industry Group: March 1960
10
Percent
20
30
40
S«rvictts, (finarK«, Insuranct,
r«al #»tat»; butin«ts; p«rtonal;
profvssional )
Trad*
Monufacturing
Privof* Household
Public Adminitrration
Transportation, Communication,
Public Utilities
Agriculture
Construction
Mining
Forestry, Fisheries
Sowrtr U. & Dvpartmtnl of Lati«r. Sarttu of Lahor Statiitkt.
Women workers ore highly concentrated in the rapidly growing service industries. These include finance ond insurance services and many professional and business services, as well as personal services; many
women work otso in retail trade ond in monufocturing.
Chart 7.
Educational Attainment of Women in the Labor Force: 1940-59
(18 to 6 4 Years of A g e )
P«rc»nt
P«rc«nt
50
50
ELEMENTARY
COLLEGE
HIGH S C H O O L
40
40
1940*
B M
1952
1957
30 -
30
1959
20
20
w
w
111
10
Less rhan 5
m
m WM
years
1-3
years
Souit*. U.S. DtoM-timnt of Libor. Btirnu of Ltbor Stitiltks.
10
i M
mm
1
i mm
4
sors
1-3
4 o r more
years
years
*N<ite: Oali on educational attainment not atailibU prior to 1940.
The educattonol ottamment of women in the tabor force has risen s i g n i f i c a n t l y
T o d a y , a l m o s t three-fifths of the women workers have at least a high school education. About two-fifths
had a high school education 2 0 years ago.
T o d a y , only 3 percent of the working women have less thon 5 years of schooling; 2 0 years ago, 6 percent
hod less than this.
Todoy.o lorger proportion of women workers have completed ot least 4 y e o r s of c o l l e g e thon 2 0 years
a g o , b u t the relative Inert-use has been much s m a l l e r t h a n that for h i g h s c h o o l
graduates.
Chart 11.
Chart 8.
Resident College Enrollment: 1920-58
Bachelors Degrees Earned: 1920-58
Thousand
MitUon
400 r
4
300
"H
M«n
Wom«n
1919-20
1929-30
1939*40
SoHrtr U S- Otpanmtnt of Htallh. Educitien,
btficf o'r Edutitien.
1949-50
Wtlfirt,
1957-58
200
Women
100
m .
1919-20
1929-30
1939-40
1949-50
1957-58
Sourec U S. Dfpartmcnt ot Health. Education, and Welfart,
Oltica of tducation.
More and more women ore attending ond graduoting from institutions of higher learning.
Since 1920, enrollments of women in colleges and universities have olmost quadrupled. The number
of baccalaureate degrees granted to women during the same period has multiplied more than 7 times.
The increases in enrollments for men, however, have been even greater during most of this period. The
percent of women enrollees in the total, therefore,dropped from 5 0 percent in 1 9 2 0 to 3 0 percent in 1950, when
mony veterans took advontoge of the educational aid made available to them. Since then enrollments
of women
hove ogoin increased at a faster rote than those of men, and they now represent more than one-third of the total
enrollments.
Chart 11.
Chart 10.
Median Income of Women,
by Educational Attainment: 1958
(14 Years of Age and Over)
Labor Force Participation of Women,
by Educational Attainment: March 1959
(18 Years of Age and Over)
Paront
60
IELEMENTARY] [HIGH SCHOOTI
50
-
40
-
30
-
ICOLLEGEI
0
[COUEGEJ
$2
20
10
Median Incomt rin Thouundi)
$5
HIGH
ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL
-
l«t*
5-7
than 5 y«ari
ycort
8
y*art
than 4
yvofi
4
Ltii
4
ymart thon 4 Or mor»
y«ari y«ar]
8
y«ar>
4
y«art
4
yvari
5 Of mof«
y«ari
Sourci- U S Dtparlmtnl of Commtrct. Burtau of tht CtniHi
S*urtt US OvDJirlmtnl at L*b«f lurtiu tf Libor SUIiilIti
C h a n c e s thot o woman will seek paid employment tend to i n c r e a s e with the amount of education
Educotion is on importont determinant of the
average income of women.
One-half of the women who had completed a
she has received.
In M o r c h 1959, more thon one-half of the
yeor or more of graduate study hod incomes of ot least
women in this country with a college degree were in
^4»38l in 1 9 5 8 . T h i s was I 1/2 times the m e d i a n in-
the work force as compored with somewhat morB than
come of women 4 - y e o r c o l l e g e graduates-,more than
one-fourth of the women who left school prior to or
2 times that of high school groduates; and almost 5times
on c o m p l e t i n g the 8th g r a d e .
that of elementary s c h o o l g r a d u a t e s .
Chart 12.
Educational Attainment of Women In Selected Occupational Groups: March 1959
(18 Y e a r s of A g e a n d O v e r )
SELECTED OCCUPATfONAL GROUPS
Profcssionol workers
Manogers, officials, proprietors
Clehcol workers
Sales workers
Service workers (except household)
Operatives
Percent Distribution
SOME C O L L E G E
HIGH SCHOOL
EOUCATtON
EDUCATION
73
19
17
12
22
40
65
43
29
24
14
Private-household workers
6
2
3
LESS T H A N
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
5
40
18
42
63
72
80
Sount; U.S Dtp«/tfn«nt of Libor. BurMu of Labor Statittkt.
E d u c o t i o n strongly a f f e c t s a women's occupation.
Neorly 3 out of every 4 women in the p r o f e s s i o n s have had some c o l l e g e education.
T h e vest majority of women in c l e r i c a l , m o n a g e r i a l and soles occupations hove hod at l e o s t o high
school
education.
Most of the women employed in service o c c u p o t i o n s or f a c t o r y o p e r a t i o n s hove had less than o h i g h
school
education.