November 2009: The Female Face of Labor
Of the 1.673 million women age 16 years and over in CY 2008 in PR, 610,000, or 36.5%, were labor force participants—working or looking for work. They are projected to account for 44% of the labor force by 2020. Of 177,000 self-employed in 2008, 43,000 or 24% were women. The unemployment rate for women was 4.4% compared to 7% for men. This is no small accomplishment since their labor force participation rate in 1970 was a meager 29%. Over the same period, the rate for men fell gradually from 71% in 1970 to 55% in 2008. Find out which economic sector provided more jobs to these women; which occupation has the largest percentage of female employed in PR; whether education played a role in this increasing participation; and if they are earning as much as their male counterparts. In addition, this article discusses the impact of the current fiscal policy on female labor participants.