By the numbers: Women’s History Month

The roots of National Women’s History Month go back to March 8, 1857, when women from various New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions. International Women’s Day was first observed in 1909, but it was not until 1981 that Congress established National Women’s History Week to be commemorated annually the second week of March. In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month. Every year since, Congress has passed a resolution for Women’s History Month, and the president has issued a proclamation.

Population

163.2 million The number of females in the United States as of July 2015. The number of males was 158.2 million. 2 to 1 The approximate ratio by which women age 85 and older outnumbered men in 2015 (4.1 million to 2.1 million).

Jobs

76.1 million The number of females age 16 and older who participated in the civilian labor force in 2015. Women comprised 47.4 percent of the civilian labor force in 2015. 43.9 percent The percentage of women who were life, physical and social science scientists in 2015, the highest percentage of women among all computer, engineering and science occupations. There were 24.8 percent of computer and mathematical occupations and 14.0 percent of architecture and engineering occupations held by women

63.0 percent The percentage of women who were social scientists in 2012, the heaviest representation of women among all STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields. Among other STEM fields, women comprised approximately 14.0 percent of engineers, 45.0 percent of mathematicians and statisticians, and 47.0 percent of life scientists. The rates of mathematicians and statisticians, and life scientists are not statistically different from each other.

Percentage of Women in Select Occupations 1970 / 2006-2010

Registered nurses 97.3 / 91.2 Dental assistants 97.9 / 96.3 Cashiers 84.2 / 74.7 Pharmacists 12.1 / 52.6 Accountants 24.6 / 60.0 Computer programmers 24.2 / 24.4

Physicians and surgeons 9.7 / 32.4

Lawyers and judges 4.9 / 33.4 Police officers 3.7 / 14.8 Civil engineers 1.3 / 12.7 14.2 percent The percentage of employed women age 16 and older in 2015 who worked in management, business and financial occupations, compared with 15.8 percent of employed men in the same year.

Military

1.6 million The number of women veterans in the United States in 2015.

Earnings

9.7 percent The percentage of married couples in 2016 where the wife earned at least $30,000 more than the husband. $40,742 The median annual earnings of women age 15 and older who worked full time, year-round in 2015. In comparison, the median annual earnings of men were $51,212. $0.80 The amount that full-time, year-round female workers earned in 2015 for every dollar their male counterparts earned.

Education

12.5 million The number of women enrolled in undergraduate college and graduate school in 2015. Women comprised 55.4 percent of all college students (undergraduate and graduate). 30.9 percent The percentage of women age 25 and older who had obtained a bachelor’s degree or more as of 2015. The percentage of men age 25 and older who had obtained a bachelor’s degree or more as of 2015 was 30.3 percent.

Business

$1.4 trillion The estimated receipts from women-owned firms in the United States in 2012, rising 18.7 percent from $1.2 trillion in 2007. 9.9 million The estimated number of women-owned firms in the United States in 2012, up from 7.8 million or 26.8 percent in 2007. 35.8 percent The estimated percentage of U.S. firms that were owned by women in 2012. They constituted the majority of firms in the health care and social assistance sector (62.5 percent), the educational services sector (54.2 percent) and the “other services” sector (51.8 percent). For comparison, women accounted for 51.4 percent of the 18-and-older population in the United States in 2012. 114,103 The number of womenowned firms that had paid employees and were in business less than two years in the United States in 2014. The health care and social assistance sector had the most women-owned businesses with 177,127 firms or 16.8 percent.

Voting

43.0 percent The percentage of female citizens age 18 and older who reported voting in the 2014 election. By comparison, 40.8 percent of their male counterparts reported voting.

Motherhood

43.5 million The estimated number of mothers ages 15 to 50 in the United States in 2014. 2.0 The average number of children that women ages 40 to 44 had given birth to as of 2014, down from 3.1 children in 1976, the year the Census Bureau first began collecting such data. The percentage of women in this age group who had ever given birth was 84.8 percent in 2014, down from 89.9 percent in 1976.

Marriage

67.4 million The number of married women age 18 and older (including those who were separated or had an absent spouse) in 2016. 5.0 million The number of stay-athome mothers nationwide in 2016, compared with 209,000 stay-at-home fathers.