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 Jun 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 Jul 2025 about 20 years +, females, participation, white, labor force, labor, household survey, rate, and USA.

This graph shows the unadjusted female labor force participation rate in the United States from 1990 to 2023. In 2023, about 57.3 percent of the female labor force participated in the job market.

In 2024, around **** percent of the female population aged 15 years and above in Japan was in the workforce. The labor force participation rate among women reached a record high.

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.

The female labor force participation rate in India increased by *** percentage points (*************) in 2024. While the growth is slowing down, with 32.8 percent, the rate is at its peak in the observed period. Female labor force participation is the share of women over 15 years who are economically active. For example, all women providing labor in a specific period for the production of goods and services.

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.

Since 1990 in the U.S., there has always been more men than women working at full-time status. In 2024, there were 74.86 million men working full-time compared to 58.51 million women. For part-time workers, this trend is flipped, there are more women working part-time than there are men.

The average for 2023 based on 178 countries was 51.07 percent. The highest value was in the Solomon Islands: 82.73 percent and the lowest value was in Afghanistan: 4.83 percent. The indicator is available from 1991 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

United States Labour Force Participation Rate: Female: Age 30 to 34 data was reported at 74.700 % in Jun 2018. This stayed constant from the previous number of 74.700 % for May 2018. United States Labour Force Participation Rate: Female: Age 30 to 34 data is updated monthly, averaging 73.400 % from Jun 1976 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 505 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 77.100 % in Nov 1999 and a record low of 52.800 % in Jun 1976. United States Labour Force Participation Rate: Female: Age 30 to 34 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.G008: Current Population Survey: Labour Force.

Iran Labour Force Participation Rate: Age 10 and Over: Female data was reported at 15.000 % in Mar 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 15.900 % for Dec 2017. Iran Labour Force Participation Rate: Age 10 and Over: Female data is updated quarterly, averaging 14.250 % from Jun 2005 (Median) to Mar 2018, with 52 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 18.700 % in Sep 2005 and a record low of 10.300 % in Mar 2014. Iran Labour Force Participation Rate: Age 10 and Over: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistical Centre of Iran. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Iran – Table IR.G002: Labour Force Participation Rate.

Context

Women roughly occupy half of the world's population but when it comes to the total workforce of a country, the percentage of male and female workers are rarely similar. This is even more prominent for the developing and underdeveloped countries. While several reasons such as the insufficient access to education, religious superstitions, lack of adequate infrastructures are responsible for this discrepancy, it goes way beyond these. And to show the effects of multiple socioeconomic factors on the participation of women in the total workforce, percentage of female employment in the total labor force has been considered. Using multiple linear regression model, the relationship between these factors can be analyzed.

Content

For the current study, the data set has been chosen from a survey performed on the population of Bangladesh. The datasets selected for this study span over 25 years (from 1995 to 2019). Data has been collected separately from multiple datasets from the World Bank databank for the employed women percentage and the related predictor variables. These datasets were compiled into one dataset and it corresponds to the 25 data points for the variables. There is one response variable which is the percentage of the employed women and 10 exlnanatory variables of predictors. Brief descriptions of these variables are given below.

PerFemEmploy Employment to population ratio (%) of women who are of age 15 or older. Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed. Employment is defined as persons of working age who, during a short reference period, were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period (i.e. who worked in a job for at least one hour) or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangements. Ages 15 and older are generally considered the working-age population.

FertilityRate Fertility rate (birth per women). Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.

RatioMaletoFemale Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate. Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15 and older that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate is calculated by dividing female labor force participation rate by male labor force participation rate and multiplying by 100.

PerFemEmployers Employers, female (% of female employment). Employers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs" i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced), and, in this capacity, have engaged, on a continuous basis, one or more persons to work for them as employee(s).

Agriculture Employment in agriculture, female (% of female employment). Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The agriculture sector consists of activities in agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing, in accordance with division 1 (ISIC 2) or categories A-B (ISIC 3) or category A (ISIC 4).

Industry Employment in industry, female (% of female employment). The industry sector consists of mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction, and public utilities (electricity, gas, and water), in accordance with divisions 2-5 (ISIC 2) or categories C-F (ISIC 3) or categories B-F (ISIC 4).

Services Employment in services, female (% of female employment). The services sector consists of wholesale and retail trade and restaurants and hotels; transport, storage, and communications; financing, insurance, real estate, and business services; and community, social, and personal services, in accordance with divisions 6-9 (ISIC 2) or categories G-Q (ISIC 3) or categories G-U (ISIC 4).

Wage.Salaried Wage and salaried workers, female (% of female employment). Wage and salaried workers (employees) are those workers who hold the type of jobs defined as "paid employment jobs," where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts that give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work.

ContrFamWorkers Contributing family workers, female (% of female employment). Contribut...

In 2024, around 71.5 percent of the male population and 55.6 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 61.7 percent in the same year. It was mainly a higher share of women 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 half 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 25 to 29-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 thirties. 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 25 to 29-year-olds and then declines steadily. This makes women less likely to enter leadership positions.

Graph and download economic data for Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Labor Force Participation Rate Female: From 25 to 54 Years for United States (LRAC25FEUSQ156S) from Q1 1955 to Q2 2025 about 25 to 54 years, females, participation, labor force, labor, rate, and USA.

In July 2024, 63.1 percent of women aged 15 years and over in Australia were in the labor force. Overall, the participation rate of women in the Australian labor force has been gradually increasing over time.

Labor force, female (% of total labor force) in Spain was reported at 46.98 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Spain - Labor force, female - 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 Indonesia was reported at 39.36 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Indonesia - Labor force, female - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

The first goal of this study was to identify the incidence of partner violence among Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients over a three-year period. The second goal of this study was to examine the impact of partner violence on women's labor force participation over time. A final goal of this research was to explore the short and longer-term consequences of victimization on women's employment and economic well-being, as well as their physical and mental health.

This study used the first three years of data from the Illinois Families Study (IFS). The first of the annual surveys was administered between November 1999 and September 2000, the second between February 2001 and September 2001, and the third between February 2002 and September 2002.

The three data files contain very similar information including such items as a household roster, housing and neighborhood characteristics, employment, literacy and skills, parenting, and children. There is also information related to the respondent's history, health, self-efficacy, life events, experiences with domestic violence, civic participation and social support, income resources, and experiences with welfare.

The Part 1 (Wave 1 Data) data file contains 1,323 cases and 942 variables. The Part 2 (Wave 2 Data) data file contains 1,183 cases and 763 variables. The Part 3 (Wave 3 Data) data file contains 1,072 cases and 778 variables.

Additional information about the Illinois Families Study (IFS) is available on the IFS Web site.

Egypt EG: Labour Force Participation Rate: National Estimate: Female: % of Female Population Aged 15+ data was reported at 22.979 % in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 22.666 % for 2015. Egypt EG: Labour Force Participation Rate: National Estimate: Female: % of Female Population Aged 15+ data is updated yearly, averaging 20.160 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 41 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 29.970 % in 1989 and a record low of 4.360 % in 1973. Egypt EG: Labour Force Participation Rate: National Estimate: Female: % of Female Population Aged 15+ data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Egypt – Table EG.World Bank: Labour Force. Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15 and older that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in September 2018.; Weighted average; The series for ILO estimates is also available in the WDI database. Caution should be used when comparing ILO estimates with national estimates.