In a study of data concerning distribution of earned income among men and women from 1958 to 1977, it appears that the trend toward greater inequality among men continued but slowed in recent years. The more unequal distribution for women remained stable, probably reflecting limited advances. (CT)

Data from the 1984-86 Consumer Expenditure Survey were used to examine effects of a wife's labor force participation on family income and expenditures. Findings indicate that families with employed wives spend significantly more on food away from home, child care, women's apparel, and gasoline than do families in which the wife stays at home. (CH)

In order to determine whether methods of job analysis and classification currently used are biased by traditional sex stereotypes or other factors, a committee assessed formal systems of job evaluation and other methods currently employed in the private and public sectors for establishing the comparability of jobs and their levels of compensation.…

Policy options for increasing the earnings of the young welfare recipients were explored by analyzing the incomes of nearly 12,000 young women in Baltimore, Maryland, whose 19th birthday fell between April 1, 1985, and March 31, 1989, and who had at least one spell of welfare dependency between their 19th and 29th birthdays. An analysis of the…

An historical and contemporary analysis of the role of women in American society is presented. Specifically, the report considers women's involvement in the labor force. During the colonial period, most women worked in the home, producing cloth, clothing, shoes, and food. With the development of the textile industry, women obtained jobs in…

A major development in the American workforce has been the increased labor force participation of women. In 1970, only about 43 percent of women age 16 and older were in the labor force; by 1999, that figure had risen to 60 percent. From 1999 to 2004, women's labor force participation rate receded slightly to 59.2 percent, still well above the…

A study tracing the United States economy over the last 40 years reports the skills needed in the changing economy around the turn of the 21st century. Data sources were the March Annual Demographic files of the Current Population Survey for 1970, 1980, 1990, and 1996, and the Public Microdata Sample of the 1960 Census. The study notes the rise of…

Although the gap between women's and men's wages differs slightly depending on how the gap is measured, no matter how they are measured, women's earnings are below those received by men in 97% of the occupations for which data are available. Since 1979, women's earnings have been climbing when compared with men's earnings, gaining steeply during…

Data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau (the Current Population Survey and Survey of Income and Program Participation) and other federal agencies were used to examine trends in the ways different cohorts of women born between 1906 and 1975 have attempted to balance motherhood, marriage, and employment. The study focused on the following:…

The validity of the notion that welfare receipt is equivalent to "dependency" and work represents "self-sufficiency" was examined in a qualitative study during which 214 recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and 165 low-wage single mothers in 4 U.S. cities were interviewed. The women were contacted…

After remaining virtually unchanged from 1995 through the 1970s, the wage gap between women and men began to decline in the 1980s. By the early 1990s, the ratio of the annual earnings of women employed full time year-round to the annual earnings of their male counterparts reached 72.0%. That ratio decreased slightly (to 71.4%) in 1995. The wage…

Analyzes Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Annual Salary Survey data for 8-year period in terms of employment level and salaries of women and men. Historical trends in comparable worth, the current situation in academic libraries, and possible future trends are discussed. (CLB)

Patterns in number, ethnic characteristics, and practices of female dentists are reviewed, and implications for the future of women in dentistry are considered. The focus is on substantial increases in proportion of women in the profession, practice ownership status, quantity of patient contact, earnings differentials, cultural diversity, and…

Wage analyses of several government surveys suggest that substantial, broad-based reductions in real wages occurred in the final years of the 1980s recovery. (Data sources are the hourly compensation data from the Employment Cost Index series and wage data from the Current Population Survey.) The wages of those who lost the most in the 1980s (high…

Although the role of women in the American economy has come a long way in the years since 1950, women have made relatively little progress in quite a number of areas. In the years during and after World War II, women's employment has increased significantly, with married women being the ones who have entered the work force most rapidly. Despite…