FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                    CONTACT: Keener A. Tippin II

Wednesday, October 15, 2008                                                                                                (573) 751-9065

Missouri Women’s Council Honors Achievement, Accomplishments of Working Women During Business Women’s Week

JEFFERSON CITY – The Missouri Women’s Council is joining Business and Professional Women/USA in spotlighting the achievements and contributions of working women during National Business Women’s Week, October 20-24.

According to Mary Cottom, executive director of the Missouri Women’s Council, the growth in women-owned businesses in Missouri mirrors the state’s economic outlook.

“The council’s purpose is to support and help Missouri women as they pursue their economic and personal goals,” she said.  “It is appropriate that this week we celebrate and acknowledge the accomplishments of working women.”

Cottom highlights these statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics:

• Of the 120 million women age 16 years and over in the U.S., 71 million, or 59.3%, were labor force participants—working or looking for work.

• Women comprised 46 percent of the total U.S. labor force and are projected to account for 47 percent of the labor force in 2016.

• Women are projected to account for 49 percent of the increase in total labor force growth between 2006 and 2016.

• A record 68 million women were employed in the U.S.—75 percent of employed women worked on full-time jobs, while 25 percent worked on a part-time basis.

• The largest percentage of employed women (39 percent) worked in management, professional, and related occupations; 34 percent worked in sales and office occupations; 20 percent in service occupations; 6% in production, transportation, and material moving occupations; and 1 percent in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.

• The largest percentage of employed Asian and white women (47 percent and 39 percent, respectively) worked in management, professional, and related occupations. For both black and Hispanic women, it was sales and office occupations —33 percent.

• The unemployment rate for women was 4.5 percent and for men it was 4.7 percent in 2007. For Asian women, it was 3.4 percent; white women, 4.0 percent; Hispanic women, 6.1 percent; and black women, 7.5 percent.

• The median weekly earnings of women who were full-time wage and salary workers were $614, or 80 percent of men’s $766. When comparing the median weekly earnings of persons aged 16 to 24, young women earned 92 percent of what young men earned ($409 and $443, respectively).

• Women accounted for 51 percent of all workers in the high-paying management, professional, and related occupations. They outnumbered men in such occupations as financial managers; human resource managers; education administrators; medical and health services managers; accountants and auditors; budget analysts; property, real estate, and social and community association managers; preschool, kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers; physical therapists; and registered nurses.

• Of persons aged 25 years and older, 28 percent of women and 30 percent of men had attained a bachelor’s degree or higher; 32 percent of women and 31 percent of men had completed only high school, no college.

• The higher a person’s educational attainment, the more likely they will be a labor force participant (working or looking for work) and the less likely they will be unemployed.

• For women age 25 and over with less than a high school diploma, 33 percent were labor force participants; high school diploma, no college, 54 percent; some college, but no degree, 66 percent; associate degree, 71 percent; and bachelor’s degree or higher, 73 percent.

• For women age 25 and over with less than a high school diploma, their unemployment rate was 8.2 percent; high school diploma, no college, 4.3  percent some college, but no degree, 4.1 percent; associate degree, 3.1 percent; and bachelor’s degree or higher, 2.1 percent.

“Our economy is growing as a result of the hard work of Missourians who are creating and recruiting high quality family-supporting jobs to our state,” Cottom said. “These numbers prove that women are playing a significant role in helping to move the economy forward.”

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