The gender distribution of the nation’s population has remained relatively stable for
the last fifty years, with slightly more women than men in the population, primarily
because of the long life expectancy for women. But public policies do reflect
changing attitudes about gender roles, which in turn, have implications for families
and the workforce. Indeed, we can see these trends in male and female labor force
participation (Figure 2.7). While the proportion of men with jobs has slightly declined
in recent years, the rate at which women are participating in the workforce
has been climbing since 1975, and is leveling off or just growing slightly. These
data are driven by two related but different trends: the extent to which women have
gained equal access to the job market and the extent to which families depend on
a second earner.