Environments of Compensation and Benefits Administration

Increased Participation by Women

Financial need

Economics is an important explanation for the increased participation by women in the workforce. Women provide substantial proportions of family income and are the sole wage earners in a rising percentage of families. Today, 26% of all families are maintained by women. This is twice the number of families headed by single mothers 35 years ago.

Technology

Part of the explanation for the increased participation of women over the years may be due to appliances that make running a home today less time consuming.

Societal roles

Economics and technology are only a partial explanation for the increased participation rate of women.

Perhaps the strongest explanation for the increased participation of women in the labor force is sociological. Roles for women have been redefined, and women work for the same reasons as men: a sense of identity, self-sufficiency, and self-esteem.