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Unemployment - Women
Unemployment - Women in United States
United States

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United States Value:

8.3%

Percentage of the female civilian workforce that is unemployed

Unemployment - Women in depth:

Additional Measures:

Unemployment - Women by State

Percentage of the female civilian workforce that is unemployed




Unemployment - Women Trends

Percentage of the female civilian workforce that is unemployed

Trend: Unemployment - Women in United States, 2022 Health Of Women And Children Report

Percentage of the female civilian workforce that is unemployed

United States
Source:

 U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics

View All Populations

Unemployment - Women

Trend: Unemployment - Women in United States, 2022 Health Of Women And Children Report

Percentage of the female civilian workforce that is unemployed

United States
Source:

 U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics

About Unemployment - Women

US Value: 8.3%

Top State(s): Nebraska: 4.2%

Bottom State(s): Nevada: 13.2%

Definition: Percentage of the female civilian workforce that is unemployed

Data Source and Years: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020

Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2023.

A stable and well-paying job makes it possible for people to live in areas with access to healthy food, medical services and quality child care and education for their families, and to afford these things — all critical factors for maintaining good health. Unemployment is associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality, especially among adults ages 18-24

There is a strong relationship between employment status and mental health. Unemployment may lead to lower self-esteem, higher levels of depression and strained family ties. The effects of job loss are not limited to the individual: Studies have shown a profound effect on impacted spouses and children

High unemployment rates increase the economic burden on states due to decreased revenue from income taxes and increased demand for unemployment insurance and social welfare programs. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a large increase in the number of unemployed individuals in the United States, with notable impacts on women. Between February 2020 and February 2021, women disproportionately left the labor force, making up more than half of the total workforce loss despite comprising less than half of the workforce in the U.S.

In 2020, the prevalence of unemployment was higher among:

  • Younger women ages 16-19 compared with women ages 20 and older.
  • Hispanic and Black women compared with Asian and white women. 
  • Women with less than a high school diploma; unemployment rates decrease as educational attainment increases.

Different strategies exist to reduce the unemployment rate, especially for women. Women are disproportionately burdened with caretaking for children and other family members, and the lack of affordable child care or supportive policies can make it difficult to maintain full-time or stable work to support those families. Decreasing the unemployment rate and increasing the number of working women requires serious investments in supportive care infrastructure, labor protections and equitable wages and benefits.

Healthy People 2030 tracks different measures of economic stability, including increasing employment among the working-age population ages 16-64.

 

Boesch, Diana, and Shilpa Phadke. “When Women Lose All the Jobs: Essential Actions for a Gender-Equitable Recovery.” Center for American Progress, February 1, 2021. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/women-lose-jobs-essential-actions-gender-equitable-recovery/.

Brand, Jennie E. “The Far-Reaching Impact of Job Loss and Unemployment.” Annual Review of Sociology 41, no. 1 (August 14, 2015): 359–75. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-071913-043237.

Davila, Evelyn P., Sharon L. Christ, Alberto J. Caban-Martinez, David J. Lee, Kristopher L. Arheart, William G. LeBlanc, Kathryn E. McCollister, et al. “Young Adults, Mortality, and Employment.” Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 52, no. 5 (May 2010): 501–4. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0b013e3181d5e371.

Dooley, David. “Unemployment, Underemployment, and Mental Health: Conceptualizing Employment Status as a Continuum.” American Journal of Community Psychology 32, no. 1–2 (2003): 9–20. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025634504740.

Dooley, David, Jonathan Fielding, and Lennart Levi. “Health and Unemployment.” Annual Review of Public Health 17, no. 1 (January 1996): 449–65. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.pu.17.050196.002313.

Lindner, Stephan, and H. Elizabeth Peters. “How Does Unemployment Affect Family Arrangements for Children?” Low-Income Working Families Paper 29. Urban Institute, August 2014. https://www.urban.org/research/publication/how-does-unemployment-affect-family-arrangements-children.

Nikolova, Milena, and Boris N. Nikolaev. “Family Matters: The Effects of Parental Unemployment in Early Childhood and Adolescence on Subjective Well-Being Later in Life.” Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 181 (May 26, 2018): 312–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2018.05.005.

Roelfs, David J., Eran Shor, Karina W. Davidson, and Joseph E. Schwartz. “Losing Life and Livelihood: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Unemployment and All-Cause Mortality.” Social Science & Medicine 72, no. 6 (March 2011): 840–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.01.005.

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