Women from ‘‘Generation X' The labor force experience of women from ‘Generation X’ Women aged 25 to 34 years in 2000 participated in the labor force in greater proportions, were more educated, earned more, and generally enjoyed more labor market benefits than their counterparts 25 years earlier; moreover, the “earnings gap” between young women and men narrowed substantially over the period Marisa DiNatale uring the 1960s and 1970s, legislation years had completed 4 or more years of col- and and changing social mores dramatically lege, compared with 18 percent 25 years Stephanie Boraas Daltered the choices young women had earlier. about their futures. Girls growing up during this • Young women have substantially closed period were influenced both by the conventions the “earnings gap” with their male coun- of their parents’ generation and by the new op- terparts since 1979 (the first year for which portunities that were becoming available to them. comparable earnings data are available In contrast, girls born in later years grew up in an from the CPS). They earned 82 percent as era in which women often were expected to com- much as young men in 2000 for full-time bine market work1 with family responsibilities. work, compared with 68 percent in 1979. Consequently, women who were aged 25 to 34 years in 2000 had a markedly different relation- • Married women aged 25 to 34 years—par- ship to the labor market than did their counter- ticularly those who had children—were far parts in 1975. more likely to be in the labor force in 2000 The first part of this article focuses on the than 25 years earlier. major demographic and labor market indicators • Young women were working more hours that are used to describe young women. These and more weeks out of the year in 1999 than indicators will be used to see how the group and were their counterparts 25 years ago; black its relationship to the labor market has changed women were more likely than either white over the past quarter century. The second part or Hispanic women to work full time and focuses on issues facing young women in the year round. labor market today.2 • Nearly one million women aged 25 to 34 The highlights include the following: were displaced from a job between January • About three-quarters of women aged 25 to 1997 and December 1999; when surveyed 34 years participated in the labor force in the in February 2000, displaced young women year 2000, compared with a little more than were more than 4 times as likely as their Marisa DiNatale and half in 1975. male counterparts to have left the labor Stephanie Boraas are force. economists in the Divi- • Young women today are more highly edu- sion of Labor Force Sta- • tistics, Bureau of Labor cated than were their counterparts in 1975; The vast majority (83 percent) of employed Statistics. in 2000, 30 percent of women aged 25 to 34 women aged 25 to 34 had health insurance cov- Monthly Labor Review March 2002 3 Women from ‘Generation X’ Table 1. Selected characteristics of women and men aged 25 to 34, March 1975 and 2000 Women Men Characteristic 1975 2000 1975 2000 Civilian noninstitutional population, aged 25 to 34, total (in thousands) ....................... 15,316 19,188 14,366 18,310 Race and Hispanic origin1 White ................................................................ 86.6 79.0 88.7 81.6 Black ................................................................ 11.3 14.9 9.3 12.4 Hispanic origin .................................................... 5.4 14.6 5.1 15.4 Education2 Less than four years of high school or less than a high school diploma ........................................ 20.2 10.9 17.9 13.0 Four years of high school, no college or high school diploma, no college ........................ 45.9 28.9 36.9 32.4 1 to 3 years of college or some college or associates degree ............................................ 16.3 30.3 19.6 25.9 4 or more years of college or college degree ............. 17.6 29.9 25.6 28.7 Marital status3 Married, spouse present ....................................... 76.3 57.0 74.6 49.5 Unmarried, total .................................................. 23.7 43.0 25.4 50.5 Never married .................................................. 10.8 30.2 17.1 41.0 Other marital status .......................................... 12.9 12.8 8.2 9.5 Divorced ....................................................... 6.8 7.7 4.6 5.7 Separated ..................................................... 5.5 4.7 3.5 3.6 Widowed ....................................................... .7 .4 .1 .1 Presence and age of children With children under age18 ..................................... 76.0 59.8 – 38.8 With children ages 6 to 17, none younger .............. 23.3 18.2 – 7.8 With children under age 6 ...................................... 52.6 41.7 – 31.0 Under age 3 .................................................... 27.6 25.1 – 21.1 With no children under age 18 ................................ 24.0 40.2 – 61.2 1 Detail for race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because 3 Marital status data for men in 1975 is for the total population and data for the “other races” group are not presented and Hispanics may be includes members of the Armed Forces. included in either the white or black population groups. 2 Since 1992, data on educational attainment have been based on the NOTE: Data from 1994 forward are not directly comparable with data for “highest diploma or degree received” rather than the “number of years of school 1993 and earlier years due to the CPS redesign. Dashes indicate data not completed.” available. erage in February 2001; about 60 percent of women in this age 2000. In those 25 years, the share of women in this age group group received coverage through their employers. who had completed at least 4 years of college rose from 18 to 30 percent. At the same time, the share of men with that level of education only edged up 3 percentage points to 29 percent. Indicators of change Over the same period, the proportion of young women who had dropped out of high school fell from 20 percent to 11 As a group, women who were aged 25 to 34 years in 2000 percent. (See table 1.) differed in a number of their demographic and labor force char- While white women continued to have the most schooling acteristics from their counterparts 25 years earlier. The sub- among the three major race-ethnic groups in 2000, black sections that follow describe some of these differences. women made large strides in educational attainment over this period. In 1975, 32 percent of black women aged 25 to 34 had Educational attainment. The level of education among completed fewer than 4 years of high school, and just 10 per- women aged 25 to 34 improved dramatically between 1975 and cent had completed 4 or more years of college. In 2000, by 4 Monthly Labor Review March 2002 Table 2 . Labor force participation of women and men aged 25 to 34 by selected demographic characteristics, March 1975 and 2000 (Numbers in thousands) Women Men Characteristic Number Participation rate Number Participation rate 1975 2000 1975 2000 1975 2000 1975 2000 Civilian labor force, aged 25 to 34 ........................... 8,304 14,787 54.2 77.1 13,692 17,091 95.3 93.3 Race and Hispanic origin1 White ............................................................. 7,054 11,622 53.2 76.7 12,219 14,097 95.9 94.4 Black .............................................................. 1,083 2,298 62.8 80.6 1,216 1,984 91.2 87.7 Hispanic origin .................................................. 384 1,784 46.6 63.6 6 8 6 2,658 94.1 94.1 Education2 Less than 4 years of high school or less than a high school diploma ....................................... 1,260 1,141 40.8 54.7 2,371 2,053 92.3 86.0 4 years of high school, no college or high school diploma, no college .......................................... 3,753 4,124 53.3 74.3 5,155 5,559 97.2 93.7 1 to 3 years of college or some college or associates degree ....................................... 1,434 4,592 57.5 79.0 2,638 4,474 93.8 94.3 4 or more years of college or college degree ............. 1,858 4,930 68.9 85.9 3,528 5,005 96.0 95.4 Marital status Married, spouse present ....................................... 5,648 7,788 48.3 71.2 10,365 8,765 97.3 96.7 Unmarried, total .................................................. 2,656 6,999 73.3 84.9 3,327 8,326 89.7 90.0 Never married ................................................... 1,325 4,918 80.4 84.9 2,213 6,704 88.2 89.3 Other marital status ........................................... 1,331 2,080 67.4 84.7 1,114 1,623 92.7 93.4 Divorced ........................................................ 796 1,295 76.8 87.7 6 2 6 9 9 1 92.7 94.4 Separated ...................................................... 486 734 57.9 81.7 4 7 1 6 1 2 92.8 92.2 Widowed ........................................................ 49 5 1 48.5 63.7 1 8 2 0 91.2 84.3 Presence and age of children With children under age 18 .................................... 5,281 8,054 45.4 70.1 – 6,855 – 96.5 With children aged 6 to 17, none younger ............... 2,147 2,739 60.0 78.4 – 1,352 – 94.6 With children under age 6 .................................... 3,134 5,315 38.9 66.5 – 5,504 – 96.9 Under age 3 ................................................... 1,402 3,024 33.2 62.7 – 3,752 – 97.2 With no children under age 18 ................................ 3,023 6,733 82.2 87.4 – 10,236 – 91.4 1 Detail for race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because school completed.” data for the “other races” group are not presented and Hispanics may be included in either the white or black population groups.