NCJ Number
233850
Date Published
March 2011
Length
97 pages
Annotation
This report draws on data from Federal statistical agencies in compiling baseline information on how women are faring in the United States today and how trends in women's well-being have changed over time.
Abstract
The report provides a statistical profile of women in America in five critical areas: demographic and family changes, education, employment, health, and crime and violence. The report indicates that women have made significant progress in some areas. Women have not only matched men in college attendance, but younger women are now more likely than younger men to have a college or a master's degree. Women are also more likely to have employment outside the home than in the past, and the number of women and men in the labor force has nearly equalized in recent years. Consequently, women's earnings constitute a growing share of family income. These gains in education and labor-force involvement, however, have not yet translated into wage and income equity between men and women. At all levels of education, women earned approximately 75 percent of the earnings of their male counterparts in 2009. A related consequence of this income disparity is that women are more likely than men to be at the poverty level. These economic inequities are more critical for women of color. Regarding health issues, women live longer than men, but are more likely to face certain health problems. Many women do not receive specific recommended preventive care, and one out of seven women ages 18-64 has no usual source of health care. Women are less likely than in the past to be the target of violent crimes, but women are more likely than men to be victims of certain crimes, such as intimate partner violence and stalking. Extensive figures and detailed sources and notes