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How do women in the labor force differ around the world? Recent Pew Research Center analysis of 2010-2016 labor force statistics from 114 nations reveals that women comprise at least 40 percent of the workforce in over 80 countries.
In the United States, women currently account for 46.8 percent of the labor force, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that women’s share of the labor force will peak at 47.1 percent in 2025 and diminish to 46.3 percent by 2060. This gap in labor force participation means there are 10.3 million more men than women in the workforce.
Research Findings:
- the countries with the highest percentage of women in the labor force are Zimbabwe, Malawi, The Gambia, Liberia and Tanzania, where women comprise at least 50 percent of the workforce
- in all sub-Saharan countries with available data, at least 40 percent of the workforce is women
- Lithuania is the only country outside of sub-Saharan Africa where women represent 50 percent or more of the labor force
- in most European Union countries, the labor force is at least 45 percent female
- women’s labor force participation is lower in the Middle East, North Africa and India
- countries in South and Central Asia have low percentages of women workers
- India and Pakistan are in the bottom 10 countries with available data
- Women workers in Bhutan (46.7%) and Kazakhstan (48.8%) equal or exceed the female share in the U.S.
- women’s labor force participation in the Western Hemisphere: Canada (47.3%), French Guiana (48.0%), Bermuda (48.7%), the Cayman Islands (48.8%), Bahamas (49.5%) and Barbados (49.7%)
It is crucial to increase women’s presence in the workforce, to diminish the gender wage gap, inspire future generations and create gender equality. As empowered women workers increase and succeed, gender imbalances will decline.