Status of Women:

United States

$52,000 Annual earnings of women employed full time
4,295 Maternal deaths between 2018 and 2022
71.3% Of women with children under 6 are in the labor force
22.4% Of women aged 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree as their highest level of education

    • Data

    See data by gender below. Click "Visualize data" for a breakdown by gender and race/ethnicity, where applicable.

    Child Care

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    United States 3-Year-Olds 4-Year-Olds
    Three and Four-Year-Olds Enrolled in Pre-School 17% 44%
    United States
    3-Year-Olds
    4-Year-Olds

    Sources:  American Community Survey, 2023; Child Care Aware, 2023; National Institute for Early Education Research, 2023.

    Single Householder

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    United States Single Female Headed Single Male Headed All Single Headed Households
    Single-Headed Households in Poverty (100% Threshold) 22.3% 11.0% 19.3%
    Single-Headed Households in Poverty (200% Threshold) 46.0% 28.4% 41.3%
    Single-Headed Households with Children in Poverty (100% Threshold) 33.5% 15.4% 29.9%
    Single-Headed Households with Children in Poverty (200% Threshold) 62.2% 36.2% 57.1%
    United States
    Single Female Headed
    Single Male Headed
    All Single Headed Households

    Data Source: American Community Survey, 2023.

    Notes: Data shown for individuals aged 16+.

    “Single householders” are male or female householders living in family households without a spouse present.

    The Census uses the family’s size, number of related children, and age of the primary householder to determine the Federal Poverty Threshold.

    Where no value is listed, the sample size is too small to compute an estimate. U = sample size is insufficient for the reported value to be representative of the population. Estimates should be interpreted with caution.

     

    Work and Family

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    United States Women Men All
    Parents of Young Children in the Labor Force 71.3% 94.4% 81.9%
    Part-Time Status of Workers with Young Children 25.0% 6.3% 15.0%
    United States
    Women
    Men
    All

    Source: American Community Survey, 2023.

    Notes: Data shown for individuals aged 16+.

    Labor force participation counts as either being employed or being unemployed but actively looking for a job. Part-time work is being employed but working less than 35 hours a week.

    Policy

    Updated January 26, 2026
    Paid leave refers to compensated time off workers may need to take for various reasons, including health or caregiving purposes.
    Paid sick time laws guarantee workers time off for short-term illness, injury, medical treatment, or to care for the health of a loved one.
    Refundable child tax credits—or tax credits available as a refund even if you do not owe any state taxes—can cover critical expenses related to raising a family, reduce hardship, and help alleviate poverty among women and their families.

    Data

    See data by gender below. Click "Visualize data" for a breakdown by gender and race/ethnicity, where applicable.

    Educational Attainment

    Educational attainment refers to the highest level of education an individual has completed.
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    United States Women Men All
    Less than High School 9.4% 11.0% 10.2%
    High School Diploma or Equivalent 24.5% 27.4% 25.9%
    Some College or Associate’s Degree 28.6% 26.7% 27.7%
    Bachelor’s Degree 22.4% 21.3% 21.8%
    Graduate Degree 15.2% 13.6% 14.4%
    United States
    Women
    Men
    All

    Source: American Community Survey, 2023.

    Notes: Data shown for individuals aged 25+.

    Earnings by Educational Attainment

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    United States Less than HS HS Diploma or Equivalent Some College or Associate Degree Bachelors Degree Graduate Degree All
    Women's Earnings by Educational Attainment (25+) $32,000 $39,500 $46,000 $67,000 $85,000 $55,000
    Men's Earnings by Educational Attainment (25+) $42,000 $50,000 $60,000 $90,000 $120,000 $67,000
    Gender Earnings Ratio by Educational Attainment (25+) 76.2% 79.0% 76.7% 74.4% 70.8% 82.1%
    United States
    Less than HS
    HS Diploma or Equivalent
    Some College or Associate Degree
    Bachelors Degree
    Graduate Degree
    All

    Source: American Community Survey, 2023.

    Notes: Data shown for individuals aged 25+. Earnings data are median annual values.

    Where no value is listed, the sample size is too small to compute an estimate. U = sample size is insufficient for the reported value to be representative of the population. Estimates marked unreliable should be interpreted with caution.

    Policy

    Updated January 26, 2026
    As the costs of higher education soar, states have implemented affordability measures to create free access to community college for eligible students.
    A student loan borrower bill of rights protects students from predatory lending practices with licensing requirements and transparency measures, and can lessen the burden of student debt.

    Data

    See data by gender below. Click "Visualize data" for a breakdown by gender and race/ethnicity, where applicable.

    Earnings and Income

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    United States Women Men All Earnings Ratio
    Workers' Earnings (16+) $52,000 $63,000 $60,000 82.5%
    Managerial and Professional Workers’ Earnings (16+) $70,000 $92,300 $80,000 75.8%
    Retirement Income (62+) $13,000 $20,000 $16,000 65.0%
    Social Security Income (62+) $14,400 $20,000 $16,800 72.0%
    United States
    Women
    Men
    All
    Earnings Ratio

    Source: American Community Survey, 2023.

    Notes: Earnings/income data are median annual values.

    Earnings by Educational Attainment

    Educational attainment refers to the highest level of education an individual has completed.
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    United States Less than HS HS Diploma or Equivalent Some College or Associate Degree Bachelors Degree Graduate Degree All
    Women's Earnings by Education $32,000 $39,500 $46,000 $67,000 $85,000 $55,000
    Men's Earnings by Education $42,000 $50,000 $60,000 $90,000 $120,000 $67,000
    Gender Earnings Ratio by Education 76.2% 79.0% 76.7% 74.4% 70.8% 82.1%
    United States
    Less than HS
    HS Diploma or Equivalent
    Some College or Associate Degree
    Bachelors Degree
    Graduate Degree
    All

    Source: American Community Survey, 2023.

    Notes: Data shown for individuals aged 25+. Earnings/income data are median annual values.

    Labor Force and Employment

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    United States Women Men All
    Labor Force Participation 59.3% 68.2% 63.7%
    Part-Time Workers 26.6% 15.2% 20.6%
    Unemployment 4.3% 4.3% 4.3%
    United States
    Women
    Men
    All

    Source: American Community Survey, 2023.

    Notes: Data shown for individuals aged 16+. Labor force participation counts as either being employed or being unemployed but actively looking for a job. Workers are classified as unemployed if they do not currently have a job, are looking for a job, and have not yet found one.

    Living in Poverty

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    United States Women Men All
    Adults in Poverty (18–64) 11.2% 8.7% 10.0%
    Seniors in Poverty (65+) 12.1% 9.1% 10.7%
    Working Poor (18+; 100% of Federal Poverty Threshold) 4.2% 3.1% 3.6%
    Working Poor (18+; 200% of Federal Poverty Threshold) 14.5% 12.6% 13.5%
    United States
    Women
    Men
    All

    Source: American Community Survey, 2023.

    Notes: The working poor are defined as individuals who spend at least 27 weeks in a year working full-time and have incomes below the Federal Poverty Threshold. We calculate the share of workers who earn less than 100% and 200% of the Federal Poverty Threshold.

    Occupational Grouping

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    United States Women Men All
    Employment in Managerial and Professional Jobs 47.8% 38.9% 43.1%
    Self-Employed Workers 8.1% 11.6% 9.9%
    United States
    Women
    Men
    All

    Source: American Community Survey, 2023.

    Notes: Data shown for individuals aged 16+.

    Representation in STEM Jobs

    STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math.
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    United States Women Men All
    Employment in STEM and STEM-related Jobs 49.3% 50.7%
    Employment in STEM Jobs 26.6% 73.4%
    Employment in STEM-related Jobs 74.1% 25.9%
    United States
    Women
    Men
    All

    Source: American Community Survey, 2023.

    Notes: Data shown for individuals aged 16+. For more information about the classification of STEM and STEM-related jobs, see related note in the State PAL methodology table.

    The ‘All’ column may appear blank when the total equals 100%

    Policy

    Updated January 26, 2026
    Salary transparency laws that require employers to disclose the compensation range for job postings can help close the gender wage gap.
    Salary history bans that prohibit employers from inquiring about an applicant's prior compensation or using it to justify a pay discrepancy can contribute to closing the gender and racial wage gaps.
    State minimum wage laws set the wage floor for the hourly rate that employers can compensate workers, and because women are overrepresented in low-wage jobs, they are more likely to live in poverty.
    Workplace antidiscrimination laws prohibit disparate treatment of workers on the basis of sex or gender, gender identity, race, religion, family or marital status, pregnancy status, disability, or other protected class.

    Data

    See data by gender below. Click "Visualize data" for a breakdown by gender and race/ethnicity, where applicable.

    Health Insurance Coverage

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    United States Women Men All
    Adults with Health Insurance (19–64) 90.5% 87.5% 89.0%
    Seniors with Health Insurance (65+) 99.2% 99.1% 99.2%
    Medicaid Coverage (19–64) 18.6% 14.2% 16.4%
    Medicaid Coverage Among Unemployed Adults (19–64) 40.7% 32.2% 36.2%
    Uninsured Adults (19–64) 9.5% 12.5% 11.0%
    Uninsured Adults of Reproductive Age (18–49) 10.4% 14.2% 12.3%
    Older Uninsured Adults (50–64) 7.3% 8.4% 7.8%
    Unemployed Adults who are Uninsured (19–64) 19.0% 27.1% 23.2%
    Adults Not in the Labor Force and Uninsured (19–64) 13.5% 14.2% 13.8%
    United States
    Women
    Men
    All

    Source: American Community Survey, 2023.

    Notes: Workers are classified as unemployed if they do not currently have a job, are looking for a job, and have not yet found one. Workers are classified as being out of the labor force if they are neither employed nor unemployed.

    Maternal and Newborn Health

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    United States Value
    Fertility Rate (18–49; expressed per woman) 1.61
    Adolescent Fertility Rate (15–19; expressed per 1000 population) 13.08
    Cesarean Delivery 32.31%
    Preterm Births 10.40%
    Low Birthweight Births 8.57%
    United States
    Value

    Source: Natality Records 2016-2023 on CDC WONDER Online Database.

    Notes: Data are reported for 2023. Preterm is less than 37 weeks completed gestation. Low birthweight is less than 2,500 grams (5 pounds, 8 ounces).

    Where no value is listed, the value does not meet the requirements for confidentiality constraints.

     

    Maternal and Infant Mortality

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    United States Value
    Number of Maternal Deaths 4,295
    Maternal Mortality Rate (expressed per 100,000 live births) 23.2
    Infant Mortality Rate (expressed per 1,000 live births) 5.61
    United States
    Value

    Sources: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), National Vital Statistics Center; Linked Birth/Infant Death Records 2017-2022 on CDC WONDER Online Database.

    Notes: Data on maternal deaths and maternal mortality rates are reported for 2018–2022. Data on Infant mortality rates are reported for 2022.

    Where no value is listed, the value does not meet the requirements for confidentiality constraints; U = these estimates do not meet the NCHS standard of reliability or precision.

    Title X Family Planning Program

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    United States Women Men
    Number of Title X Family Planning Users 2,338,208 416,727
    United States
    Women
    Men
    United States Value
    Number of Title X Facilities 3,817
    Title X Funding $286,500,000
    United States
    Value

    Source: Office of Population Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services, 2024.

    Notes: Data are reported for 2023.

    Abortion

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    United States Cost
    Self-Pay Cost of Medication Abortion $563
    Self-Pay Cost of First Trimester Procedural Abortion $650
    Self-Pay Cost of Second Trimester Procedural Abortion $1,000
    United States
    Cost

    Source: Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, University of California San Francisco, 2024.

    Notes: Data are reported for 2023. Self-pay cost is defined as paying for medical expenses without the use of health insurance.

    No value listed indicates missing data; # indicates no facilities were providing these procedural abortion services; ~indicates no facilities were open and providing abortion services.

     

     

    Policy

    Updated January 26, 2026
    States can amend statute or the state constitution to codify the right to reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy.
    Interstate shield laws protect providers of reproductive health care and gender-affirming care who serve patients who traveled to other states for care from legal consequences due to hostile laws in the patient's home state.
    Data privacy laws can protect patient and provider confidentiality by restricting hostile digital surveillance and geofencing related to reproductive health data.
    Health insurance coverage for abortion care helps to offset costs for women and increase their access to care, and some states require abortion care coverage by private health insurers.
    Private insurance coverage of gender-affirming care promotes access to and affordability of critical health care.
    Medicaid coverage for abortion care ensures assistance for patients who need additional financial support to access critical reproductive health care.
    Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care ensures access to critical care for eligible patients for whom the cost is prohibitive.
    State Medicaid coverage for maternal care postpartum promotes accessibility and affordability of care during a critical time frame when patients are at increased risk for maternal morbidity and mortality.
    Fetal personhood laws extend constitutionally protected rights to an embryo or fetus, granting the same legal rights as a person. These laws are crafted to supersede the constitutional right of the pregnant person and effectuate a ban on abortion.
    Some states allow for citizen-led reporting and impose civil or criminal penalties for traveling for abortion care or assisting someone who travels for care.
    State abortion bans restrict access to abortion care with gestational limits and many make exceptions only in extreme circumstances like rape, incest, or life-threatening conditions.
    Gender-affirming care bans prohibit a wide range of health care services such as gender transition surgeries, puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy, and mental health services. These bans often target minor access to care.

    United States Key Facts

    United States Female Population Breakdown

    169,155,380 Total Female Population
    19.2% Aged 65 and older
    11.4% With a disability (ages 18-64)

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