* Annual estimates for 2025 are 11-month averages that exclude October. Data for October 2025 were not collected due to the federal government shutdown.
In 2025, the employment rate of women was **** percent in the United States. The female employment rate peaked in 2000 at **** percent.
Women in the workforce
Historically, women have been underrepresented in the workforce compared to men and have faced persistent barriers to equal treatment such as wage discrepancies, sexual harassment, and disproportionate expectation that women manage household and caregiving responsibilities alongside full-time work. Across many cultures, women were traditionally confined to domestic roles, and limited access to higher education further restricted their professional opportunities. As societies have modernized, women’s participation in both higher education and the workforce has increased. Reflecting this shift, women surpassed men in the number of university degrees awarded in the United States for the first time in 2014. By 2024, **** percent of women had completed at least four years of university education, compared with **** percent of men.
The wage gap
Today, the wage gap remains a problem for women, although some improvements have been made. There is no state in the United States where women earn more than men, although states such as Rhode Island and Vermont have the smallest wage gaps between women and men. Additionally, there are no occupations in which women out-earn men, even in fields that traditionally employ more women.Ìý
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Bureau of Labor Statistics. (January 27, 2026). Annual average rate of employment of women in the United States from 1990 to 2025 [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Retrieved August 05, 2026, from /statistics/192396/employment-rate-of-women-in-the-us-since-1990/
Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Annual average rate of employment of women in the United States from 1990 to 2025." Chart. January 27, 2026. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Accessed August 05, 2026. /statistics/192396/employment-rate-of-women-in-the-us-since-1990/
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Annual average rate of employment of women in the United States from 1990 to 2025. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc.. Accessed: August 05, 2026. /statistics/192396/employment-rate-of-women-in-the-us-since-1990/
Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Annual Average Rate of Employment of Women in The United States from 1990 to 2025." ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc., 27 Jan 2026, /statistics/192396/employment-rate-of-women-in-the-us-since-1990/
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual average rate of employment of women in the United States from 1990 to 2025 ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, /statistics/192396/employment-rate-of-women-in-the-us-since-1990/ (last visited August 05, 2026)
Annual average rate of employment of women in the United States from 1990 to 2025 [Graph], Bureau of Labor Statistics, January 27, 2026. [Online]. Available: /statistics/192396/employment-rate-of-women-in-the-us-since-1990/
