WOMEN IN NUMBERS
Celebrating Women’s History Month
March 2009
N
ational Women’s History Month’s roots go back to
March 8, 1857, when women from New York City facto-
ries staged a protest over working conditions. Interna-
tional Women’s Day was first observed in 1909, but it wasn’t
until 1981 that Congress established National Women’s His-
tory Week to be commemorated the second week of March.
In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month. Every year
since, Congress has passed a resolution for Women’s History
Month, and the president has issued a proclamation.
154.7 million
The number of females in the United States as of Oct. 1,
2008. The number of males was 150.6 million.
At 85 and older, there were more than twice as many
women as men.
Motherhood
82.8 million
Estimated number of mothers of all ages in the United
States.
Source: Unpublished data from Survey of Income and Program Participation
1.9
Average number of children that women 40 to 44 had
given birth to as of 2006, down from 3.1 children in 1976,
the year the Census Bureau began collecting such data. The lents where median earnings for women were greater than
percentage of women in this age group who were mothers $40,000.
was 80 percent in 2006, down from 90 percent in 1976.
$61,957
Median earnings of women working in computer and
Earnings mathematical jobs, the highest among the 26 major occupa-
$34,278 tional groups. In the installation, maintenance and repair
The median annual earnings of women 16 or older who occupations and community and social services group,
worked year-round, full time, in 2007, up from $33,648 in women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s earnings were
2006 (after adjusting for inflation). Women earned 77.5 cents higher than 90 percent.
for every $1 earned by men.
$49,364 Education
Median earnings of women in 2007 in the District of 33%
Columbia, a total not statistically different from the men. In Percent of women 25 to 29 who had attained a bachelor’s
all of the 50 states, women had lower earnings than the degree or higher in 2007, which exceeded that of men in this
men. The District of Columbia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, age range (26 percent).
Maryland and New Jersey were the only states or equiva-
54 PROFESSIONAL WOMAN’S MAGAZINE www.professionalwomanmag.com
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