Veera Korhonen
Research expert covering United States data for society
Gender inequality in the United States - statistics & facts
Gender inequalities exist around the world, including in the United States. Although women make up over half of the U.S. population, they remain minorities within the most elite sectors of society; as of 2023, women constituted less than 30 percent of the House of Representatives, the Senate, Fortune 500 CEOs, and governors nationwide. Yet, any female presence in such positions of power demonstrates progress towards the advancement of women’s rights compared to a century ago. Traditionally, American women were excluded from paid work and politics, their capabilities believed to be limited to childcare and housekeeping, while men were seen as the ideal workers without such distractions. Despite subsequent expansion of women’s economic empowerment and the rise of dual earner households in the U.S., outdated stereotypes surrounding gender roles still devalue women’s work to this day. In comparison to men, women in the U.S. earn less , even when doing the same job, and they feel pressured to take on more responsibilities at home, even when working full-time. Simultaneously, even though women surpass men on educational attainment in the U.S., they continue to be underrepresented in the highest-paying careers, and even if a woman has a higher degree than a man, it is still likely that the man will earn more on average.
However, a 2023 study found over half of Americans to believe that a major reason behind why there are fewer women than men in high political offices is that women have to do more to prove themselves while a further 44 percent cited that family responsibilities make it harder for women to run for office, demonstrating how lingering assumptions on female capabilities may hinder future advancement of women in American politics. In addition, the study revealed how 50 percent of Americans said that a major reason that women earn less, on average, than men, is that women are treated differently by employers and 42 percent agreed that it was because women tend to make different choices between balancing work and family, further supporting the theory that gender equality in the U.S. remains restricted by outdated gender stereotypes and expectations.
According to the literature, mothers in the U.S. are often forced to work in low-wage occupations with certain incentives, such as flexible hours, part-time work, and supplied childcare, all of which are rare among higher wage careers. Consequently, single mothers, lacking dual income, tend to be at greater risk of experiencing poverty; comparison of the overall U.S. poverty rate with that of the poverty rate for families who only have a female head of household reveals that poverty is much more prevalent in the latter. As children in the United States are significantly more likely to live with a single mother than a single father, further attention should be given to ensuring that women in such situations can provide for their families and so that mothers nationwide can participate wholly in society, regardless of their assigned gender.
Is the future of politics female?
According to the 2023 Global Gender Gap report, the United States ranked only 43rd out of 146 countries examined for gender equality by the World Economic Forum, trailing behind neighboring countries Canada and Mexico, who came in 30th and 33rd respectively. The report outlined how the U.S. lost points due to declines in women’s life expectancy and in the amount of women in senior and ministerial positions, although the share of parliamentary positions held by women has increased overall. While high political offices remain dominated by men, more women can now be found in Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate than ever before. Moreover, despite still lacking a female head of state, Kamala Harris was appointed as the first female Vice President in 2021, suggesting positive trends for female representation in leadership positions in the future.However, a 2023 study found over half of Americans to believe that a major reason behind why there are fewer women than men in high political offices is that women have to do more to prove themselves while a further 44 percent cited that family responsibilities make it harder for women to run for office, demonstrating how lingering assumptions on female capabilities may hinder future advancement of women in American politics. In addition, the study revealed how 50 percent of Americans said that a major reason that women earn less, on average, than men, is that women are treated differently by employers and 42 percent agreed that it was because women tend to make different choices between balancing work and family, further supporting the theory that gender equality in the U.S. remains restricted by outdated gender stereotypes and expectations.
A dual burden for mothers
Despite having the highest GDP in the world, the United States remains the only OECD country to not offer any form of national paid leave. Even more concerningly, the United States is the only country apart from Papua New Guinea to not offer new mothers some sort of paid maternity leave, instead providing eligible employees with a modest 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for family or medical reasons. However, as women are more likely to work part-time than men, they are therefore less likely to meet eligibility requirements for unpaid leave. Additionally, research has revealed that management and professional occupations provide the most access to paid family leave for their employees, occupations which tend to be dominated by men. As a result, women may struggle to remain in the workforce if they choose to start a family, particularly as studies have shown that outsourcing childcare in the United States is generally considered unaffordable for most families. The high costs of childcare and lack of paid leave mean that many working women in the U.S. must balance work and family responsibilities without assistance, a dual burden which is especially exacerbated for low-income families and single mothers.According to the literature, mothers in the U.S. are often forced to work in low-wage occupations with certain incentives, such as flexible hours, part-time work, and supplied childcare, all of which are rare among higher wage careers. Consequently, single mothers, lacking dual income, tend to be at greater risk of experiencing poverty; comparison of the overall U.S. poverty rate with that of the poverty rate for families who only have a female head of household reveals that poverty is much more prevalent in the latter. As children in the United States are significantly more likely to live with a single mother than a single father, further attention should be given to ensuring that women in such situations can provide for their families and so that mothers nationwide can participate wholly in society, regardless of their assigned gender.
