Figure H
Married women entered the labor force in greater numbers, while married and unmarried men's labor force fell
: Women's prime-age labor force participation by marital status, 1976–2024
| Year | Married | Not married |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 52.3% | 76.6% |
| 1977 | 54.0% | 77.4% |
| 1978 | 56.1% | 78.2% |
| 1979 | 58.0% | 78.9% |
| 1980 | 59.5% | 79.9% |
| 1981 | 60.8% | 80.4% |
| 1982 | 61.9% | 80.7% |
| 1983 | 62.9% | 80.6% |
| 1984 | 64.2% | 80.7% |
| 1985 | 65.5% | 81.3% |
| 1986 | 66.9% | 81.6% |
| 1987 | 68.3% | 81.6% |
| 1988 | 69.1% | 81.9% |
| 1989 | 70.3% | 80.7% |
| 1990 | 70.9% | 80.0% |
| 1991 | 71.3% | 79.5% |
| 1992 | 72.1% | 79.5% |
| 1993 | 72.4% | 78.9% |
| 1994 | 73.6% | 78.6% |
| 1995 | 73.9% | 79.3% |
| 1996 | 74.0% | 80.2% |
| 1997 | 74.3% | 81.2% |
| 1998 | 73.8% | 81.5% |
| 1999 | 73.9% | 82.1% |
| 2000 | 73.9% | 81.9% |
| 2001 | 73.5% | 81.5% |
| 2002 | 73.1% | 80.9% |
| 2003 | 73.0% | 80.4% |
| 2004 | 72.4% | 80.4% |
| 2005 | 72.7% | 79.7% |
| 2006 | 73.0% | 79.5% |
| 2007 | 73.0% | 79.4% |
| 2008 | 73.5% | 79.7% |
| 2009 | 73.4% | 79.3% |
| 2010 | 72.9% | 78.8% |
| 2011 | 72.4% | 78.1% |
| 2012 | 72.1% | 78.0% |
| 2013 | 71.5% | 77.3% |
| 2014 | 71.3% | 77.7% |
| 2015 | 71.1% | 77.3% |
| 2016 | 71.5% | 78.3% |
| 2017 | 72.0% | 79.0% |
| 2018 | 72.4% | 79.2% |
| 2019 | 73.5% | 79.5% |
| 2020 | 72.6% | 78.5% |
| 2021 | 72.7% | 78.7% |
| 2022 | 73.9% | 79.7% |
| 2023 | 75.5% | 80.0% |
| 2024 | 75.8% | 80.7% |
: Men's prime-age labor force participation by marital status, 1976–2024
| Year | Married | Not married |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 95.8% | 85.9% |
| 1977 | 95.8% | 86.7% |
| 1978 | 95.8% | 87.5% |
| 1979 | 95.9% | 88.0% |
| 1980 | 95.9% | 87.9% |
| 1981 | 95.9% | 88.1% |
| 1982 | 95.8% | 88.3% |
| 1983 | 95.7% | 88.1% |
| 1984 | 95.7% | 88.4% |
| 1985 | 95.7% | 88.7% |
| 1986 | 95.7% | 88.5% |
| 1987 | 95.6% | 88.4% |
| 1988 | 95.6% | 88.3% |
| 1989 | 96.0% | 88.6% |
| 1990 | 95.7% | 88.5% |
| 1991 | 95.4% | 88.0% |
| 1992 | 95.3% | 88.2% |
| 1993 | 95.1% | 87.4% |
| 1994 | 94.5% | 86.3% |
| 1995 | 94.5% | 85.8% |
| 1996 | 94.7% | 86.2% |
| 1997 | 94.7% | 86.5% |
| 1998 | 94.7% | 86.4% |
| 1999 | 94.5% | 86.5% |
| 2000 | 94.5% | 86.3% |
| 2001 | 94.3% | 85.8% |
| 2002 | 94.0% | 85.6% |
| 2003 | 93.8% | 84.8% |
| 2004 | 93.7% | 84.6% |
| 2005 | 93.9% | 84.6% |
| 2006 | 93.9% | 85.0% |
| 2007 | 94.0% | 85.5% |
| 2008 | 93.9% | 85.1% |
| 2009 | 93.5% | 83.9% |
| 2010 | 93.1% | 83.4% |
| 2011 | 92.7% | 82.9% |
| 2012 | 92.7% | 83.0% |
| 2013 | 92.5% | 82.7% |
| 2014 | 92.4% | 82.4% |
| 2015 | 92.5% | 82.5% |
| 2016 | 92.6% | 83.0% |
| 2017 | 92.7% | 83.1% |
| 2018 | 93.0% | 83.7% |
| 2019 | 93.3% | 83.9% |
| 2020 | 92.4% | 82.1% |
| 2021 | 92.5% | 82.6% |
| 2022 | 92.8% | 83.4% |
| 2023 | 93.3% | 84.1% |
| 2024 | 93.5% | 84.3% |
Notes: Data include the civilian noninstitutional population. “Prime age” refers to ages 25 to 54. The y-axes differ across charts to best illustrate the levels and trends for each group.
Source: EPI analysis of the Current Population Survey (CPS) basic monthly microdata, EPI Current Population Survey Extracts, Version 2025.6.11, https://microdata.epi.org.
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