Myth 1
Women are in the labor force to earn some extra spending money.
FACT: The majority of women work because of economic need. In May 1986, two thirds of working mothers with children at home said that they worked to support their family. For all working women, over half worked to support their family and/or themselves. In 1992, 44 percent of women in the labor force were either single (24 percent), or divorced (12 percent), widowed (4 percent), or separated (4 percent). Women's need for good jobs is demonstrated by the fact that nearly 45 percent of all family households maintained by women lived in poverty in 1990.
<Return to list of Myths Next Myth>
Adapted from the Orientation to Nontraditional Occupations for Women (ONOW) Curriculum of the Ohio Department of Education; the Women in Highway Construction manual of the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Labor; 20 Facts on Women Workers (1990), U.S. DOL Women's Bureau; and 1993 Handbook on Women Workers: Trends and Issues, U.S. DOL Women's Bureau.
| Home | Contact | Search/Sitemap | User Guides | Events | Internet Guide | Email Lists |
Copyright © 1998, Wider Opportunities for Women, All Rights Reserved.
|