New Report: Oregon Women. A Report on Their Education, Employment and Economic Status.
he greatest percentage of increase for women participating in the labor force in Oregon was among those between the ages of 25 and 44. The percentage of women with some postsecondary education has more than doubled in two generations. Women now represent 47 percent of full-time postsecondary students in Oregon. Fifty-seven percent of the state’s female adults are married, 20 percent have never married, 11 percent are widowed, and 12 percent are divorced or separated.
Since 1970, the number of births to Oregon teenagers has more than doubled (from 8 percent in 1970 to 19 percent in 1985). Female-headed families represent 11 percent of total households in Oregon, and women represent over 44 percent of the state’s labor force. Sixty-seven percent of unmarried mothers of three- to five-year-olds and 81 percent of unmarried mothers of school age children are in the work force. Fifty-four percent of Oregon families are supported by two or more wage earners. Oregon men and women continue to work in traditionally sex-typed occupations, with males being paid more in every occupation (even in those that are predominantly female). Women employed full-time earned an average of $9,955 compared with $17,505 for their male counterparts, and families maintained by women are the most vulnerable to poverty. (This document provides 37 statistical tables and figures.)