Employment

The occupation table shows the female earnings for full-time, year-round workers in 2017 and figures on the number of women in select occupations. The Census Bureau collects data on industry, occupation and class of worker for the labor force. more »

Julia Quittman's grandmother told her she should choose any career that made her happy: Now she's a Senior Computer Systems Engineer keeping BART’s systems running. Maansii Chirag Sheth's parents supported her decision to leave India as a young woman for the United States to pursue higher education and an electrical engineering career. Now she’s a Project Manager for cathodic protection, battling corrosion wherever metal meets water. Van Nguyen loved math and science since childhood and considered medical school, but decided to get an engineering degree in four years. Now she’s a Senior Engineer working on the Transbay Tube earthquake retrofit. Editor's note: One interviewee when asked about the perception that women tend to have more “soft skills,” she said, “You still have to back it up with logic and really knowing your subject matter, being a good manager or engineer.” more »

The Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative, “Because of Her Story,” strives to be the nation’s most comprehensive undertaking to document, research, collect, display and share the compelling story of women in America. Launched in 2018, the initiative will greatly increase the Smithsonian’s research and programming related to women in the US, past and present. With a digital-first mission and focus, the initiative uses technology to amplify a diversity of women’s voices — not in one gallery or museum, but throughout the Smithsonian’s many museums, research centers, cultural heritage affiliates and wherever people are online — reaching millions of people in Washington, DC, across the nation and around the world. More information about the initiative is available at womenshistory.si.edu. The public can join the conversation on social media at #BecauseOfHerStory. more »

Congress generally has sought to address retirement-related issues in an incremental fashion. Also, no one agency is responsible for overseeing the US retirement system in its entirety, so there is no obvious federal agency to lead a comprehensive reform effort. It has been nearly 40 years since a federal commission has conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the nation's approach to financing retirement. Without a more comprehensive re-evaluation of the challenges across all three pillars of the system, it may be difficult to identify effective, enduring solutions. Unless timely action is taken, many older Americans risk not having sufficient means for a secure and dignified retirement. more »