--In 1970, 25 percent of women age 16 and over were in the labor force. Today, 60 percent of women work outside the home. Approximately 80 percent of women between 25 and 44 are in the workforce.

--In 1970, 30 percent of all mothers with children under 6 years old had paid employment. That figure has now increased to over 60 percent and is expected to rise to 75 percent within five years. Since 1970, households headed by women have increased 70 percent. Women are the sole earners in more than 18 percent of families. Of all families maintained by women, 27 percent are below the poverty level in income.

--Currently, women earn, on average, 75 cents for every dollar earned by men.

--Although percentages of women in nontraditional areas have increased, often the increase has occurred in the lower-paying jobs. About 25 percent of women work in the U.S. Census labeled “professional and technical jobs”; however, women are employed in only eight of the 50 job titles that comprise that area. Two-thirds of employed women hold clerical, service, nursing, and education jobs; these are traditionally low-paying occupations.

--Women make up over 48 percent of managers and 53 percent of professionals, including teachers and registered nurses. In the professions, women have made gains in the last 10 years and now comprise 30 percent of doctors and 20 percent of dentists. In such traditionally male jobs as pilots and navigators, women now make up 3.7 percent, up from 1.5 percent; among firefighters, women comprise 2.8 percent, up from 0.5 percent. Although women constitute 46 percent of the workforce, they fill only 10 percent of the top corporate positions.

--For women, the best paying jobs include pharmacist, lawyer, electronic and electrical engineer, computer systems analyst, and college faculty.

--Women-owned businesses number approximately 10 million and employ more than 28 million people (35 percent more than all Fortune 500 companies employ worldwide). An estimated 40 to 50 percent of all woman-owned firms in this country are based in homes.

--Approximately 18 percent of military personnel are women.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics, Report 960, May 2002 “Highlights of Women’s Earnings in 2001.”