Working 9 to 5, what a way to make a living

Soon after her passing, people in her native Tennessee and elsewhere proposed that September 25 should be celebrated as "Dolly Parton Day" in honor of Dolly Parton's life and accomplishments and in reference to 9 to 5 (9/25, get it?), the title of both one of her many hit songs and a movie about employed women, in which she starred with Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dabney Coleman. For decades before the movie was made, the phrase "9 to 5" was used to refer to a traditional full-time job with routine hours, usually 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

During 1980, the year of the movie's release, nearly 31 million women were employed full time, while the total number of men and women employed, both full time and part time, was about 100 million. Thus, women working full time made up 31 percent of the total number of employed people. Women working part time were 11 percent of workers. Men working full time made up about 52 percent, while men working part time were the remaining 6 percent.

A decade before the movie's release, in 1970, women working full time were 28 percent of employed people. The percentage rose above 30 percent for the first time in 1978 and has been over 36 percent in recent years. Women working part time has mostly ranged from 10 percent to 13 percent of employed people since 1970.

Men working full time constituted 57 percent of employed people in 1970. In recent years, men working full time made up 46 to 47 percent of the total. Men working part time has typically been 5 to 7 percent of workers during the past 50-plus years.

These data are from the Current Population Survey, refer to people 16 years and older, and are seasonally adjusted. People who usually work 35 hours or more per week, regardless of actual start or end time, are counted as employed full time. Those who usually work less than 35 hours are counted as part time.