This report examines factors that are associated with the labor force participation behavior of working-age men and women in the United States with a focus on the connection between labor force participation and human capital skills and educational attainment. The analysis reveals very different patterns of labor force attachment for American men and women over the past 50 years. Findings suggest that policies targeted to bolster the human capital abilities of the working-age population to increase their labor force participation are likely to be more effective among women than among men.