U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

November 2010

Reversals in the patterns of women’s labor supply in the United States, 1977-2009

Diane J. Macunovich

Despite strong increases in women’s labor force participation—especially among married women with children—in the 1980s, and somewhat less strong increases in the 1990s, the first decade of the twenty-first century has seen declines across the board; these have been especially marked among single women, women with no children, and women with more than 16 years of education.

Download PDF »