Since 1990, the employment rate of women in the United States has stayed more or less steady, reaching a peak of 57.5 percent in 2000. In 1990, the female employment rate was 54.3 percent, and in 2024, the employment rate was 55.2. Women in the workforce There have historically been fewer women than men in the workforce. Additionally, women face many hurdles to equal treatment when they are employed, such as wage discrepancies, sexual harassment, and being expected to carry out the majority of household and family related tasks even while working full-time. Women have historically been the primary caregivers and homemakers through many cultures worldwide. Despite this, the number of women joining the workforce has increased globally. Women in history faced the additional barrier of not being able to attend university, which barred them from gaining an education and access to professional job. However, as our cultures have modernized, women have been granted equal access to university in many societies. In 2014 in the United States, the number of university degrees awarded to women exceeded that of men for the first time. In 2021, 39.1 percent of women had completed at least four years of university compared to 36.6 percent of men. Despite this, the unemployment rate of women in the United States has fluctuated significantly since 1990. In 2021, Nebraska was the state with the highest percentage of women participating in the civilian labor force, second to the District of Columbia. The wage gap Today, the wage gap is still a problem for women, although improvements have been made. There is no state in the U.S. where women earn more than men, but women in Vermont had the smallest wage gap to men in 2021. Additionally, there are no occupations in which women out-earn men, even in occupations that traditionally employ more women. A more detailed look at wage inequality in the United States can be found here.

Graph and download economic data for Labor Force Participation Rate - Women (LNS11300002) from Jan 1948 to May 2025 about females, participation, 16 years +, labor force, labor, household survey, rate, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Labor Force Participation Rate - 20 Yrs. & over, White Women (LNS11300029) from Jan 1954 to Jun 2025 about 20 years +, females, participation, white, labor force, labor, household survey, rate, and USA.

Since 2000, employment-to-population ratio worldwide was constantly significantly higher among men than among women. Whereas more than ********** of men were estimated to be employed worldwide in 2025, less than **** of women were the same. Moreover, employment rates among both genders fell over the time period, with the decrease being larger among men.

In 2024, the employment rate for women in Japan stood at **** percent, up from about **** percent in the previous year. The male employment rate was **** percent in 2024.Increasing number of working womenAs Japan is facing severe demographic challenges, the government has tried for many years to increase the number of women in the workforce. In 2013, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared his commitment to creating "a society in which women shine", calling it “a matter of the greatest urgency”. Since then, the number of employed women noticeably increased, exceeding ** million in 2024. Attitudes slow to changeDespite these advances, Japanese corporate culture as well as gender attitudes are only slowly changing. While the number of working women has certainly increased, some voices criticize that Japan still lags behind when it comes to women in leadership positions. This criticism is also extended to political leadership positions, as women in the House of Representatives made up around ** percent of diet members in 2023.

In 2024, around **** percent of the male population and **** percent of the female population aged 15 years and above in Japan were in the workforce nationally. The labor force participation rate among women reached the highest share since 1973. Female employment rate Japan’s employment rate, the share of people who are employed among the total population aged 15 years and above, rose to **** percent in the same year. It was mainly a higher share of ***** in employment that contributed to the overall increase in the employment rate in 2024. Despite the female employment rate reaching an all-time high, a significantly larger share of women, over **** of female employees, were in non-regular employment, such as part-time and temporary work. Distinctive work patterns of women shaped by Japan’s labor market and corporate culture are one of the reasons for its gender gap when it comes to equal economic participation. Women’s work patterns One of these work patterns is the M-shaped curve of female labor participation. The curve reflects the trend that female labor force participation peaks in the age group of ** to **-year-olds and then falls, as women drop out of the workforce upon life events such as marriage and childbirth, only to reenter the workforce at a later stage. This curve has gradually flattened in recent years, as fewer women left the workforce in their ********. However, the so-called L-shaped curve of women in regular employment suggests that instead, fewer women stay in regular employment. The percentage of women working in regular full-time jobs peaks in the age bracket of ** to **-year-olds and then declines steadily. This makes women less likely to enter leadership positions.

Portugal Employment Rate: Female data was reported at 61.500 % in Mar 2025. This stayed constant from the previous number of 61.500 % for Feb 2025. Portugal Employment Rate: Female data is updated monthly, averaging 52.200 % from Feb 1998 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 326 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 61.600 % in Dec 2024 and a record low of 48.800 % in Mar 2013. Portugal Employment Rate: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Portugal. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Portugal – Table PT.G011: Labour Force Survey: Employment Rate: by Age and Sex.

The Bahamas had the highest female employment-to-population ratio in the world in 2023 at 90 percent of the women in working age in some form of employment. Iceland had the second highest female employment rate of the countries, reaching 81 percent.

Graph and download economic data for Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Employment Rate Female: From 25 to 54 Years for United States (LREM25FEUSQ156S) from Q1 1977 to Q1 2025 about 25 to 54 years, employment-population ratio, females, employment, population, rate, and USA.

This statistic shows the number of part-time employed women in the United States from 1990 to 2024. In 2024, about 17.53 million women were employed on a part-time basis which was an increase from the previous year, when there were 16.98 million women employed part-time.

Graph and download economic data for Labor Force Participation Rate - 20 Yrs. & over, Women (LNS11300026) from Jan 1948 to Jun 2025 about 20 years +, females, participation, labor force, labor, household survey, rate, and USA.

Norway Employment Rate: Female: 25-74 Years data was reported at 68.100 % in Feb 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 68.200 % for Jan 2025. Norway Employment Rate: Female: 25-74 Years data is updated monthly, averaging 69.100 % from Jan 2009 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 194 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 72.500 % in Mar 2009 and a record low of 66.800 % in Jan 2021. Norway Employment Rate: Female: 25-74 Years data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Norway. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Norway – Table NO.G021: Employment Rate: Labor Force Survey.

Between 1970 and 1988, the share of women in the civilian workforce in the U.S. rose from 38 to 45 percent, whereas this figure remained fairly constant at just over 50 percent in the Soviet Union. In 1970 in the U.S., the service sector was the only where women made up a majority of the workforce; by 1988, women also made up a majority of the workforce in retail trade and the finance, insurance and real estate sector. In the Soviet Union, these were also the three sectors where women made up the largest share of the workforce.

When comparing both countries, the largest differences existed in the agriculture and construction industries; the share of women in the USSR's agricultural workforce was roughly three times larger than in the U.S. in 1970, and double in 1988; in construction the rate was almost six times higher in 1970, and three times higher in 1988. The reason for the differences decreasing over these years is due to the fact that women's share of the workforce in the U.S. grew across all industries, whereas women in the Soviet Union increasingly moved from jobs in the primary and tertiary sectors to those in service industries.

In 2024, around **** percent of the male population aged 15 years and older in Japan were employed, while **** percent of the female population were in employment. The ****** employment rate reached a record high.

Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (national estimate) in Hong Kong was reported at 52.24 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Hong Kong - Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (national estimate) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

France - Employment rate: Females was 72.20% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for France - Employment rate: Females - last updated from the EUROSTAT on June of 2025. Historically, France - Employment rate: Females reached a record high of 72.20% in December of 2024 and a record low of 64.80% in December of 2005.

Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (modeled ILO estimate) in Australia was reported at 62.36 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Australia - Labor participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Labor force, female (% of total labor force) in Italy was reported at 42.75 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Italy - Labor force, female - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on May of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Labor Force Participation Rate Female: From 25 to 54 Years for United States (LRAC25FEUSM156S) from Jan 1955 to May 2025 about 25 to 54 years, females, participation, labor force, labor, rate, and USA.

Finland Employment Rate: Female: 35 to 44 Years data was reported at 83.900 % in Oct 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 84.200 % for Sep 2018. Finland Employment Rate: Female: 35 to 44 Years data is updated monthly, averaging 80.600 % from Jan 1989 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 358 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 89.900 % in Jun 1990 and a record low of 74.300 % in Jun 1996. Finland Employment Rate: Female: 35 to 44 Years data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Finland. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Finland – Table FI.G010: Employment Rate: by Gender and Age Group.