Employment differences of men and women narrow with educational attainment

In 2022, 67.9 percent of men ages 25 and older were employed, compared with 55.4 percent of women. While men have higher employment–population ratios than women at every level of educational attainment, the gap between men and women becomes smaller as educational attainment increases.

Among people with less than a high school diploma, 54.6 percent of men were employed in 2022, well above the 30.6-percent ratio for women. The gap narrowed for high school graduates with no college; the employment–population ratio was 63.5 percent for men and 44.4 percent for women.

Men and women who had some college or an associate degree were more likely to be employed than those with less formal education. Men with this level of education had an employment–population ratio of 67.2 percent, while the ratio for women was 55.7 percent. The gap between men’s and women’s employment ratios was smallest among those who had earned a bachelor’s degree or higher; 75.3 percent of men were employed versus 68.0 percent of women.

These data are from the Current Population Survey. For more data on educational attainment, see our demographics page.