Handbook on women workers

Page 89

Women in the Labor Force 40. 71 Unemployed Women Unemployed women-those in the labor force but not able to find work-averaged 1.6 million in 1964. The unemployment rate for women This was substan­ 14 years of age and over was 6.2 percent. tially higher than the 4.7 percent unemployment rate among men. Women not only have a higher unemployment rate than men, but the gap has boon widening in recent years One of the reasons for women's continued high unemployment rate is that they move in and out of the labor force more frequently than . . men do. more But the higher rate among women is also the result of the restrictive 'and discriminatory hiring practices that affect women-whether they are low-skilled workers with only limited edu­ cation or highly skilled professionals with much education. Un­ employment is a problem for women in almost all occupations and at all ages, but for some groups it is a far more serious problem than it is for others. For girls and women who are members of families living in poverty or for those who must support themselves and others, unemployment is as tragic as it is for male heads of families. Trends in wnermploymernt rates.-Beginning with 1948, women's un­ employment rates have been generally higher than those of men, except in 1958 when the rates for both sexes were the same-at a high of 6.8 percent, reflecting the 1957-58 recession (table 33). During the next recession, 1960-61, the unemployment rate of men reached 6.5 percent (1961) -below their 1958 high. Women's unemployment rate (7.2 percent), in contrast, was above their 1958 rate and was substantially higher than that of men. From 1958 on, the unemploy­ ment rate has declined less for women than for differential was men. In 1964 the 1.5 percentage points-the greatest gap between the two rates since 1951. Unemployment by maritalstatus.-From the standpoint of marital status, the highest unemployment rate in 1964 was that of single The rates were 5.1 percent for married women women (8.7 percent). 6.4 and (husband present) percent for the group of widowed, divorced, or separated women. Unemployment by age.-By age group the highest unemployment rate for women in 1964 occurred among those 14 to 19 years old. The rates then progressively declined for each age group, with the lowest rate prevailing for women 65 years old and over (chart L) (table 34) . the highest, it was generally Although teenagers' unemployment of short duration. Few girls were unemployed longer than 4 weeks, was but some might have had several periods of unemployment in the year.