Women’s History Month: March 2020

PROFILE AMERICAN FACTS FOR FEATURES: CB20-FF.03

FEB. 25, 2020

The roots of National Women’s History Month go back to March 8, 1857, when women from various New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions. The first Women's Day celebration in the United States was also in New York City in 1909, but Congress did not establish National Women's History Week until 1981 to be commemorated annually 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.

The following facts are made possible by the invaluable responses to the U.S. Census Bureau’s surveys. We appreciate the public’s cooperation as we continuously measure America’s people, places and economy.

Did You Know? 166.0 million The number of females in the United States as of July 2018. The number of males was 161.1 million. Source: Vintage 2018 Population Estimates 2 to 1 The approximate ratio by which women age 85 and older outnumbered men in 2018 (4.2 million to 2.3 million). Source: Vintage 2018 Population Estimates

78.4 million The number of females age 16 and older who participated in the civilian labor force in 2018. This comprises 58.3% of females age 16 and older. Source: 2018 American Community Survey, 1-Year Estimates More on Select Occupations Percentage of women in select occupations Percentage of women in STEM occupations (graphic) Number of women veterans Earnings Median annual earnings of women (p. 9, Figure 4) Female-to-male earnings ratio (p. 10, Figure 5) Education Women enrolled in undergraduate and graduate schools Percentage of women who earned a degree More Stats Historical Reported Voting Rates of Women Fertility of Women in the United States: 2018 Related News Products Previous Facts for Features FFF: Women’s History Month: March 2019 FFF: Women’s History Month: March 2018 Stats for Stories Stats for Stories: Women’s Equality Day Stats for Stories: Equal Pay Day Stats for Stories: Mother’s Day Stats for Stories: International Women’s Day Blogs Poverty Rate for People in Female-Householder Families Lowest on Record Women’s Earnings By Occupation Statisticians Join in on Fight Against Cancer Who Are Veterans? Women Responsible for the Increasing Number of Vetrepreneurs Women Now at the Head of the Class, Lead Men in College Attainment Releases Women’s Earnings by Occupation From the 2017 American Community Survey Previous Graphics Today, 1 in 12 Veterans Are Women Women’s History Month 2016 Data Tables Median Earnings in Past 12 Months by Sex and Detailed Occupation ### Graphic 1 | JPG | PDF | Graphic 2 | JPG | PDF | Learn More

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Michael Livingston

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