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A look at women’s education and earnings since the 1970s
December 27, 2017
The educational attainment of women ages 25 to 64 in the labor force rose substantially from 1970 to 2016. In 2016, 42 percent of these women held a Bachelor’s degree and higher, compared with 11 percent in 1970. In 2016, 6 percent of women had less than a high school diploma—that is, did not graduate from high school or earn a GED—down from 34 percent in 1970.
Percent distribution of women in the civilian labor force, 25 to 64 years of age, by educational attainment
Year
Less than a high school diploma
4 years of high school
1 to 3 years of college
Bachelor's degree and higher
1970
33.5
44.3
10.9
11.2
1971
32.2
44.2
11.9
11.8
1972
30.7
45.1
11.8
12.4
1973
28.4
45.9
12.4
13.3
1974
26.7
45.3
13.4
14.6
1975
26.5
45.5
13.9
14.1
1976
24.0
45.1
14.7
16.2
1977
22.8
45.1
15.2
16.9
1978
22.0
44.9
16.1
17.0
1979
20.1
45.0
17.1
17.8
1980
18.4
45.4
17.4
18.7
1981
17.4
46.1
17.9
18.6
1982
16.6
45.6
18.3
19.5
1983
15.6
44.8
18.8
20.9
1984
14.5
44.9
18.9
21.7
1985
13.7
44.4
19.9
22.0
1986
13.2
44.3
20.3
22.2
1987
12.5
44.0
20.7
22.8
1988
12.4
43.3
21.2
23.1
1989
11.9
42.9
20.9
24.3
1990
11.3
42.4
21.9
24.5
1991
10.9
41.6
22.2
25.2
1992
10.3
37.4
27.3
25.0
1993
9.3
36.6
28.4
25.7
1994
9.0
35.0
29.8
26.2
1995
8.8
34.1
30.2
26.9
1996
8.8
33.6
29.9
27.8
1997
8.7
33.5
29.4
28.4
1998
8.8
32.7
29.4
29.2
1999
8.5
32.1
29.5
29.9
2000
8.5
31.6
29.8
30.1
2001
8.4
31.0
30.2
30.4
2002
8.1
30.6
29.9
31.3
2003
7.9
30.0
29.9
32.2
2004
7.7
29.4
30.2
32.6
2005
7.7
28.7
30.2
33.3
2006
7.6
28.3
30.2
33.9
2007
7.1
27.9
30.1
34.9
2008
6.9
27.2
30.4
35.6
2009
7.0
26.7
30.3
36.0
2010
6.8
26.4
30.3
36.4
2011
6.7
25.8
30.4
37.1
2012
6.5
25.0
30.4
38.1
2013
6.3
24.6
30.1
39.0
2014
6.1
24.1
29.8
40.0
2015
6.1
23.2
29.6
41.1
2016
6.0
22.9
29.6
41.6
Note: Data from 1970–1991 are from the March Current Population Survey. The educational attainment categories for these years were based on the number of years of school completed. Data beginning in 1992 are annual averages, and the educational attainment categories are based on the highest diploma or degree received.
Women’s earnings as a proportion of men’s earnings also have grown over time. In 1979, women working full time earned 62 percent of what men earned; in 2016, women’s earnings were 82 percent of men’s.
Women's earnings as a percentage of men's, median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers
Year
Total
White
Black or African American
Asian
Hispanic or Latino
1979
62.3%
61.7%
74.4%
-
71.7%
1980
64.2
63.4
75.8
-
73.5
1981
64.4
63.1
76.9
-
75.7
1982
65.7
64.5
78.1
-
75.5
1983
66.5
65.6
78.9
-
78.5
1984
67.6
66.8
79.5
-
77.7
1985
68.1
67.2
82.6
-
77.7
1986
69.5
67.9
82.8
-
80.6
1987
69.8
68.2
84.4
-
82.0
1988
70.2
68.4
82.8
-
84.4
1989
70.1
69.3
86.5
-
85.4
1990
71.9
71.5
85.3
-
87.4
1991
74.2
73.7
86.1
-
90.4
1992
75.8
75.3
88.2
-
89.1
1993
77.1
76.5
88.8
-
90.5
1994
76.4
74.6
86.5
-
88.9
1995
75.5
73.3
86.4
-
87.1
1996
75.0
73.8
87.9
-
88.8
1997
74.4
74.6
86.8
-
85.7
1998
76.3
76.1
85.5
-
86.4
1999
76.5
75.7
83.8
-
85.7
2000
76.9
75.8
84.1
79.9
87.8
2001
76.4
75.8
85.8
76.9
88.2
2002
77.9
77.9
90.3
74.9
88.0
2003
79.4
79.3
88.5
77.5
88.4
2004
80.4
79.8
88.8
76.4
87.3
2005
81.0
80.2
89.3
80.6
87.7
2006
80.8
80.0
87.8
79.3
87.1
2007
80.2
79.4
88.8
78.1
91.0
2008
79.9
79.3
89.4
78.0
89.6
2009
80.2
79.2
93.7
81.8
89.5
2010
81.2
80.5
93.5
82.6
90.7
2011
82.2
82.1
91.1
77.4
90.7
2012
80.9
80.8
90.1
73.0
88.0
2013
82.1
81.7
91.3
77.3
91.1
2014
82.5
81.8
89.9
77.9
89.0
2015
81.1
80.8
90.4
77.7
89.7
2016
81.9
81.3
89.3
78.4
88.4
Women’s-to-men’s earnings ratios were higher for Blacks and Hispanics (89 percent and 88 percent, respectively) than for Whites (81 percent) and Asians (78 percent).
United States Department of Labor
