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In 2016, 75 percent of employed women usually worked full time—that is, 35 or more hours per week. The remaining 25 percent usually worked part time (1 to 34 hours per week).
Year | Total (both women and men) | Women | Men | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Percentage usually working full time | Percentage usually working part time | Percentage usually working full time | Percentage usually working part time | Percentage usually working full time | Percentage usually working part time | |
1968 |
86.0% | 14.0% | 75.1% | 24.9% | 92.2% | 7.8% |
1969 |
85.5 | 14.5 | 74.9 | 25.1 | 91.8 | 8.2 |
1970 |
84.8 | 15.2 | 73.9 | 26.1 | 91.5 | 8.5 |
1971 |
84.4 | 15.6 | 73.2 | 26.8 | 91.2 | 8.8 |
1972 |
84.3 | 15.7 | 73.1 | 26.9 | 91.1 | 8.9 |
1973 |
84.4 | 15.6 | 73.2 | 26.8 | 91.4 | 8.6 |
1974 |
84.2 | 15.8 | 73.2 | 26.8 | 91.2 | 8.8 |
1975 |
83.4 | 16.6 | 72.4 | 27.6 | 90.6 | 9.4 |
1976 |
83.3 | 16.7 | 72.5 | 27.5 | 90.6 | 9.4 |
1977 |
83.3 | 16.7 | 72.6 | 27.4 | 90.5 | 9.5 |
1978 |
83.5 | 16.5 | 73.1 | 26.9 | 90.8 | 9.2 |
1979 |
83.6 | 16.4 | 73.3 | 26.7 | 91.0 | 9.0 |
1980 |
83.1 | 16.9 | 73.2 | 26.8 | 90.4 | 9.6 |
1981 |
82.9 | 17.1 | 72.9 | 27.1 | 90.4 | 9.6 |
1982 |
81.8 | 18.2 | 71.9 | 28.1 | 89.4 | 10.6 |
1983 |
81.6 | 18.4 | 71.9 | 28.1 | 89.2 | 10.8 |
1984 |
82.4 | 17.6 | 72.9 | 27.1 | 89.8 | 10.2 |
1985 |
82.6 | 17.4 | 73.4 | 26.6 | 89.9 | 10.1 |
1986 |
82.6 | 17.4 | 73.6 | 26.4 | 89.8 | 10.2 |
1987 |
82.7 | 17.3 | 73.9 | 26.1 | 89.8 | 10.2 |
1988 |
82.8 | 17.2 | 74.3 | 25.7 | 89.8 | 10.2 |
1989 |
83.0 | 17.0 | 74.5 | 25.5 | 90.0 | 10.0 |
1990 |
83.1 | 16.9 | 74.8 | 25.2 | 89.9 | 10.1 |
1991 |
82.6 | 17.4 | 74.4 | 25.6 | 89.4 | 10.6 |
1992 |
82.4 | 17.6 | 74.6 | 25.4 | 89.0 | 11.0 |
1993 |
82.4 | 17.6 | 74.7 | 25.3 | 88.9 | 11.1 |
1994 |
81.1 | 18.9 | 72.3 | 27.7 | 88.5 | 11.5 |
1995 |
81.4 | 18.6 | 72.6 | 27.4 | 89.0 | 11.0 |
1996 |
81.7 | 18.3 | 73.1 | 26.9 | 89.1 | 10.9 |
1997 |
82.1 | 17.9 | 73.6 | 26.4 | 89.3 | 10.7 |
1998 |
82.3 | 17.7 | 74.1 | 25.9 | 89.4 | 10.6 |
1999 |
82.6 | 17.4 | 74.7 | 25.3 | 89.5 | 10.5 |
2000 |
83.2 | 16.8 | 75.4 | 24.6 | 89.9 | 10.1 |
2001 |
82.9 | 17.1 | 75.2 | 24.8 | 89.7 | 10.3 |
2002 |
82.6 | 17.4 | 74.7 | 25.3 | 89.4 | 10.6 |
2003 |
82.3 | 17.7 | 74.4 | 25.6 | 89.2 | 10.8 |
2004 |
82.2 | 17.8 | 74.3 | 25.7 | 89.2 | 10.8 |
2005 |
82.6 | 17.4 | 74.8 | 25.2 | 89.3 | 10.7 |
2006 |
82.9 | 17.1 | 75.3 | 24.7 | 89.4 | 10.6 |
2007 |
82.9 | 17.1 | 75.3 | 24.7 | 89.5 | 10.5 |
2008 |
82.6 | 17.4 | 75.4 | 24.6 | 88.9 | 11.1 |
2009 |
80.5 | 19.5 | 73.5 | 26.5 | 86.8 | 13.2 |
2010 |
80.3 | 19.7 | 73.4 | 26.6 | 86.6 | 13.4 |
2011 |
80.5 | 19.5 | 73.5 | 26.5 | 86.6 | 13.4 |
2012 |
80.6 | 19.4 | 73.7 | 26.3 | 86.7 | 13.3 |
2013 |
80.8 | 19.2 | 74.0 | 26.0 | 86.9 | 13.1 |
2014 |
81.1 | 18.9 | 74.2 | 25.8 | 87.3 | 12.7 |
2015 |
81.6 | 18.4 | 74.8 | 25.2 | 87.6 | 12.4 |
2016 |
81.7 | 18.3 | 75.1 | 24.9 | 87.6 | 12.4 |
Note: Full time is 35 or more hours per week; part time is 1 to 34 hours per week. Data for 1994 and subsequent years are not directly comparable with data for 1993 and earlier years because of the introduction of a major redesign of the Current Population Survey. |
The percentages of employed women working full time and part time have not changed much over the past 5 decades. Since 1968, the percentage of employed women working full time has always been between approximately 72 percent and 75 percent.
In comparison, 88 percent of employed men usually worked full time in 2016 and 12 percent usually worked part time. The percentage of employed men working full time has gradually trended down over the 1968–2016 period. It was above 90 percent until 1982 and above 88 percent through 2008.
These data are from the Current Population Survey. To learn more, see Women in the labor force: a databook (November 2017).
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Percentage of employed women working full time little changed over past 5 decades at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2017/percentage-of-employed-women-working-full-time-little-changed-over-past-5-decades.htm (visited November 04, 2024).