 Colorized version of Great Depression photo "Migrant Mother" by Dorothea Lange (1936) | |
| General statistics | |
|---|---|
| Maternal mortality (per 100,000) | 18.6 (2023)[1] |
| Women in parliament | 26.7% (2021)[2] |
| Women over 25 withsecondary education | 95.4% (2015) |
| Women in labour force | 56.0% (2015) |
| Gender Inequality Index[3] | |
| Value | 0.179 (2021) |
| Rank | 44th out of 191 |
| Global Gender Gap Index[4] | |
| Value | 0.769 (2022) |
| Rank | 27th out of 146 |
The legal status ofwomen in theUnited States has advanced significantly over the past two centuries, but not yetequal to that of men in comparison to other high-income democracies.
In the early history of the U.S., women were largely confined to domestic roles. Labor shortages duringWorld War II led to an influx ofwomen in the workforce, which helped to build toward thewomen's liberation movement of the 1960s and '70s. Since then, women have gained greater visibility in public life, but significant legal and cultural gaps remain.
The United States has never ratified the U.N.’sConvention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and has failed to pass theEqual Rights Amendment (ERA), leaving women without explicit constitutional protections against sex discrimination.
The earliest women living in what is now the United Stateswere Native Americans. European women arrived in the 17th century and brought with them European culture and values. During the 19th century, women were primarilyrestricted to domestic roles in keeping withProtestant values. The campaign forwomen's suffrage in the United States culminated with the adoption of theNineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920. During World War II, many women filled roles vacated by men fighting overseas. Beginning in the 1960s, thesecond-wave feminist movement changed cultural perceptions of women, although it was unsuccessful in passing theEqual Rights Amendment. In the 21st century, women have achieved greater representation in prominent roles in American life.
The study ofwomen's history has been a major scholarly and popular field, with many scholarly books and articles, museum exhibits, and courses in schools and universities. The roles ofwomen were long ignored in textbooks and popular histories. By the 1960s, women were being presented more often. An early feminist approach underscored theirvictimization and inferior status at the hands of men. In the 21st century, writers have emphasized the distinctive strengths displayed inside the community of women, with special concern forminorities among women.
The United States has never ratified the U.N.'sConvention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, although it played an important role in drafting the treaty.[5][6] As of 2014, the United States is thus one of only seven nations which have not ratified it – also including Iran, Palau, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Tonga.[7]
38 states as of January 2020 have ratified theEqual Rights Amendment (ERA).[8] Three-fourths or 38 out of 50 states are required to ratify a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Several states originally ratified the ERA, but subsequently rescinded the ratification. Recessions in other amendments have been ignored by the courts.[9] The status of the ERA is currently unclear.[10]
Until the passage of theEqual Credit Opportunity Act in 1974, women in the United States were often unable to open a credit card, secure a loan, or even open a bank account without the signature of a husband or male relative.[11] Married women also faced restrictions on property ownership in some states until the late 20th century. Divorce laws historically favored men, leaving women with limited legal recourse and often without financial independence. Although many of these barriers have been lifted, structural inequalities continue to affect women’s ability to access credit, build wealth, and secure economic autonomy.
TheNineteenth Amendment (1920) granted women the right to vote nationwide, but this right was not equally accessible to all women. ManyBlack women, particularly in the South, were disenfranchised through poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation until the passage of theVoting Rights Act of 1965.[12]Native American women were not granted U.S. citizenship and suffrage until theIndian Citizenship Act of 1924, and state-level restrictions often continued to deny them access to the ballot for decades.[13] Asian American women also faced barriers until discriminatory naturalization laws were repealed in the mid-20th century.
These historical exclusions illustrate that the formal recognition of women’s suffrage in 1920 did not result in universal voting rights for all women in practice.
Child marriage remains legal in most U.S. states, despite international recognition of the practice as a violation of human rights.[14][15] As defined byUNICEF, child marriage includes couples who are formally married or who live together as a sexually active couple in an informal union when at least one partner — usually the girl — is under the age of 18.
While federal law sets 18 as the general minimum age of marriage, state laws override this with parental or judicial consent provisions. As of 2023, over 40 U.S. states still allow minors to marry, and several have no absolute minimum age when exceptions are granted.[16] This disproportionately affects girls, often leading to adverse outcomes in education, health, and personal autonomy.
The United States is the only high income country not to provide required paidparental leave.[17]
Birth control is legal nationwide as of 1965.[18][19]Abortion was legalized nationwide in 1973 following theRoe v. Wade decision, with states permitted to impose certain regulations short of prohibition after the first trimester.[20][21] On June 25, 2022, the Supreme Court overturnedRoe inDobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, removing federal protection for abortion rights and returning authority to individual states.[22] This decision has created a patchwork of laws across the country, with some states enacting near-total bans and others maintaining broader access.[23] Compared to other high-income democracies, the United States now has among the widest disparities in abortion access, depending on geography.Medication abortion—primarily using the drug mifepristone—accounts for the majority of abortions in the U.S., and its legal status has been the subject of ongoing court challenges.[24] Ongoing legal disputes, as well as efforts to restrict or protect abortion at both the state and federal levels, continue to shape reproductive rights in the country.[25]
The United States has the highestmaternal mortality rate among developed nations, withBlack women experiencing pregnancy-related deaths at nearly three times the rate of white women.[26]
Access toreproductive healthcare in the U.S. is geographically inconsistent and highly politicized. States vary widely in the availability of abortion, contraception, and maternal healthcare, creating some of the starkest disparities in women’s health outcomes among high-income democracies.[27]
Despite the passage of theEqual Pay Act of 1963, women in the United States continue to earn less than men on average. In 2022, women earned approximately 82 cents for every dollar earned by men, with the gap significantly wider forBlack women andLatina women.[28]
In addition, the United States lacks federally mandated paid maternity leave, making it an outlier among industrialized democracies.[29] The absence of national standards for paid family leave and affordable childcare further contributes to women’s economic inequality.
Women in the United States face persistent gaps in legal protection againstdomestic violence,sexual assault, andworkplace harassment. TheViolence Against Women Act (VAWA), first passed in 1994 and reauthorized several times since, provides federal funding and programs to support survivors.[30] However, enforcement varies by state, and some provisions have been struck down by theSupreme Court of the United States, limiting federal authority to prosecute perpetrators.
The United States also lacks uniform protections for victims ofmarital rape andstalking, with laws differing widely between states. These gaps mean that women’s access to justice and safety often depends heavily on where they live.
A woman has never beenPresident of the United States.Kamala Harris is the first woman to becomeVice President of the United States, in 2021.
The first woman elected to theUnited States House of Representatives was in 1917,Jeannette Rankin, who represented Montana. Women who served before her were finishing someone else's term who died in office or had resigned.[31]
In 2007,Nancy Pelosi was elected the 52ndSpeaker of the House of Representatives. Pelosi is the only woman in U.S. history to serve as Speaker. In 2019 she was again elected Speaker for the 2nd time (55th) and the first former Speaker to return to the position since 1955. As Speaker, Pelosi was the second highest ranking female elected official and second in thepresidential line of succession.
As of 2021, there are 119 women of 435 total in the U.S. House of Representatives, 88 Democrats, 31 Republicans.[2]
In its first 130 years in existence, the Senate was entirely male. In 1931,Hattie Wyatt Caraway was the first woman to win election to theUnited States Senate.Margaret Chase Smith was the first woman to serve in both the House and the Senate in 1949. In 1992, an unprecedented four women were elected to the Senate,Patty Murray,Dianne Feinstein,Barbara Boxer andCarol Moseley Braun who was also the firstwoman of color in the Senate. Today, of 100 members of the U.S. Senate, there are 24 women senators, 16 Democrats and 8 Republicans.[2]
In 1933Frances Perkins was appointedUnited States Secretary of Labor underPresident Franklin D. Roosevelt, making her the first woman to serve in apresidential cabinet. In 1949,Georgia Neese Clark was the first woman appointedTreasurer of the United States followed byOveta Culp Hobby asUnited States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in 1953.
The 1970s would see several women appointed for the first time in cabinet positions such asCarla Anderson Hills,United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 1975,Juanita M. Kreps,United States Secretary of Commerce in 1977 andShirley Hufstedler,Secretary of Education in 1979.
In the 1980s,Elizabeth Dole was appointedUnited States Secretary of Transportation in 1983.Elaine Chao would become third woman and firstAsian American to hold this position in 2017.Susan Engeleiter was appointed the head of theSmall Business Administration in 1989.
In the 1993,Janet Reno asUnited States Attorney General andSheila Widnall asUnited States Secretary of the Air Force were the first women appointed to their positions. Three women have served asUnited States Secretary of State. The first wasMadeleine Albright in 1997. In 2005Condoleezza Rice became the second woman and firstperson of color to serve in this position. She was succeeded by formerFirst Lady of the United States and U.S. Senator,Hillary Clinton in 2009.
Ann Veneman asUnited States Secretary of Agriculture,Gale Norton,United States Secretary of the Interior andSusan Livingstone,United States Secretary of the Navy were all the first women appointed to their positions in 2001 and 2003 respectively.
Janet Napolitano became the first woman to be appointedUnited States Secretary of Homeland Security in 2009 andGina Haspel was the first woman appointedDirector of the Central Intelligence Agency in 2018.
On the Supreme Court, there are four women justices,Sonia Sotomayor,Elena Kagan,Amy Coney Barrett, andKetanji Brown Jackson. The first woman justice wasSandra Day O'Connor in 1981 followed byRuth Bader Ginsburg in 1993.
As of 2021, there are 9 women state governors, 6 Democrats, 3 Republicans; there are 17 Lt. Governors, 10 Democrats, 7 Republicans. Women hold 31.0% of the seats on state legislatures. Of the 100 largest cities in the United States, 31 have a woman as mayor.[2]
Twenty-one state supreme courts (the highest state court) are currently or have beenmajority female.[7][32]
According to a Gallup poll from January 2019, 40 percent of women under the age of 30 would like toleave the United States, as compared with 20 percent of men in the same age group. By about 50 years of age, however, this gender gap disappears.[33]
As of 2021, the United States is ranked 30th of 156 applicable countries in gender equality on theWorld Economic Forum'sGender Gap Index.[34]
As of 2014, women in the United States earn more post-secondary (college and graduate school) degrees than men do.[35]
As of 2013, the most recent year for which statistics are available, averageage at first marriage in the United States is 27 for women and 29 for men.[36]
As of 2014, women are 46.5% of the total United States workforce.[37]
Sex discrimination has been outlawed in non-ministerial employment in the United States since 1964 nationwide; however, under a judicially created doctrine called the "ministerial exemption," religious organizations are immune from sex discrimination suits brought by "ministerial employees," a category that includes such religious roles as priests, imams or kosher supervisors.[38][39]
A woman's median salary in the United States has increased over time, although as of 2014 it is only 77% of man's median salary, a phenomenon often referred to as theGender Pay Gap. (A woman's average salary is reported as 84% of a man's average salary.)[40][41] Whether this is due to discrimination is very hotly disputed, while economists and sociologists have provided evidence both supporting[42][43][44] and debunking[45][46] this assertion.
The percentage of women by occupational group in USA for 2022 is shown in table below.
| Occupation | Percentage of women[47] |
|---|---|
| Accountants and auditors | 58.0 |
| Actuaries | 30.5 |
| Administrative services managers | 71.9 |
| Advertising and promotions managers | 55.7 |
| Advertising sales agents | 47.5 |
| Aerospace engineers | 13.8 |
| Agents and managers of artists and athletes | 44.9 |
| Agricultural and food science technicians | 34.2 |
| Agricultural and food scientists | 31.8 |
| Animal caretakers | 72.1 |
| Animal trainers | 58.0 |
| Architects, except landscape and naval | 25.4 |
| Architectural and civil drafters | 17.3 |
| Architectural and engineering managers | 11.8 |
| Archivists, curators, and museum technicians | 54.8 |
| Artists and related workers | 41.0 |
| Automotive service technicians | 1.6 |
| Baggage porters, bellhops, and concierges | 25.8 |
| Bakers | 57.1 |
| Barbers | 18.8 |
| Bartenders | 49.3 |
| Bill and account collectors | 73.4 |
| Billing and posting clerks | 86.8 |
| Biological scientists | 46.7 |
| Biological technicians | 53.3 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks | 86.4 |
| Budget analysts | 63.5 |
| Bus drivers, school | 51.8 |
| Bus drivers, transit and intercity | 29.6 |
| Business operations specialists, all other | 56.3 |
| Butchers and other meat processing workers | 20.9 |
| Cardiovascular technologists and technicians | 62.4 |
| Cargo and freight agents | 45.5 |
| Carpenters | 1.9 |
| Cashiers | 68.2 |
| Chefs and head cooks | 20.1 |
| Chemical engineers | 19.5 |
| Chemical processing operators and tenders | 13.0 |
| Chemical technicians | 33.9 |
| Chemists and materials scientists | 38.2 |
| Chief executives | 28.6 |
| Child, family, and school social workers | 83.3 |
| Childcare workers | 95.2 |
| Chiropractors | 28.3 |
| Civil engineers | 16.4 |
| Claims adjusters, appraisers, and investigators | 60.3 |
| Cleaners of vehicles and equipment | 17.9 |
| Clergy | 15.1 |
| Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians | 70.2 |
| Coaches and scouts | 36.3 |
| Compensation and benefits specialists | 72.9 |
| Compliance officers | 55.2 |
| Computer and information systems managers | 27.1 |
| Computer network architects | 9.9 |
| Computer numerically controlled tool operators | 10.1 |
| Computer occupations, all other | 23.1 |
| Computer programmers | 17.6 |
| Computer support specialists | 24.6 |
| Computer systems analysts | 40.1 |
| Computer and automated teller repairers | 9.2 |
| Conservation scientists and foresters | 33.9 |
| Construction and building inspectors | 8.5 |
| Construction equipment operators | 2.6 |
| Construction laborers | 3.5 |
| Construction managers | 8.4 |
| Cooks | 38.1 |
| Correctional officers and jailers | 27.0 |
| Cost estimators | 16.0 |
| Counselors, all other | 66.3 |
| Counter and rental clerks | 36.4 |
| Couriers and messengers | 19.8 |
| Court, municipal, and license clerks | 82.9 |
| Credit analysts | 49.7 |
| Credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks | 69.6 |
| Credit counselors and loan officers | 52.4 |
| Customer service representatives | 67.0 |
| Cutting workers | 26.0 |
| Cutting, punching, and press machine operators | 15.0 |
| Data entry keyers | 75.1 |
| Database administrators and architects | 28.8 |
| Dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians | 56.1 |
| Dental assistants | 93.1 |
| Dentists | 32.0 |
| Detectives and criminal investigators | 26.8 |
| Diagnostic medical sonographers | 74.9 |
| Dietitians and nutritionists | 88.3 |
| Dining room and cafeteria attendants | 52.1 |
| Directors, religious activities and education | 55.5 |
| Dishwashers | 21.5 |
| Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance | 54.2 |
| Door-to-door sales workers and related workers | 40.4 |
| Driver/sales workers and truck drivers | 5.7 |
| Economists | 39.3 |
| Editors | 57.2 |
| Education and childcare administrators | 64.4 |
| Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors | 76.0 |
| Electrical and electronics engineers | 8.2 |
| Electrical, electronics, and electromechanical assemblers | 43.2 |
| Electricians | 2.0 |
| Elementary and middle school teachers | 79.4 |
| Eligibility interviewers, government programs | 80.1 |
| Emergency medical technicians | 40.7 |
| Engineers, all other | 14.0 |
| Entertainment and recreation managers | 36.5 |
| Environmental engineers | 31.8 |
| Environmental scientists and specialists | 41.2 |
| Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants | 94.3 |
| Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors | 46.3 |
| Facilities managers | 19.9 |
| Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers | 13.2 |
| Fast food and counter workers | 62.0 |
| File clerks | 74.8 |
| Financial and investment analysts | 41.8 |
| Financial clerks, all other | 62.4 |
| Financial examiners | 46.3 |
| Financial managers | 54.8 |
| Firefighters | 5.0 |
| First-line supervisors of construction and extraction workers | 3.8 |
| First-line supervisors of correctional officers | 31.2 |
| First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers | 57.7 |
| First-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers | 43.2 |
| First-line supervisors of landscaping, and groundskeeping workers | 8.0 |
| First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers | 7.4 |
| First-Line supervisors of non-retail sales workers | 37.4 |
| First-Line supervisors of administrative support workers | 66.1 |
| First-line supervisors of police and detectives | 15.8 |
| First-line supervisors of production and operating workers | 21.2 |
| First-Line supervisors of retail sales workers | 43.1 |
| First-line supervisors of security workers | 28.2 |
| Flight attendants | 71.2 |
| Food batchmakers | 58.4 |
| Food preparation workers | 58.7 |
| Food processing workers, all other | 31.1 |
| Food servers, nonrestaurant | 60.2 |
| Food service managers | 46.1 |
| Fundraisers | 72.9 |
| Gambling services workers | 39.6 |
| General and operations managers | 34.0 |
| Geoscientists and hydrologists, except geographers | 20.9 |
| Graders and sorters, agricultural products | 65.4 |
| Graphic designers | 51.5 |
| Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists | 89.0 |
| Healthcare social workers | 80.3 |
| Helpers--production workers | 26.8 |
| Home health aides | 86.5 |
| Hosts and hostesses | 75.2 |
| Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks | 58.8 |
| Human resources assistants | 79.2 |
| Human resources managers | 75.3 |
| Human resources workers | 74.4 |
| Industrial and refractory machinery mechanics | 4.1 |
| Industrial engineers, including health and safety | 23.6 |
| Industrial production managers | 23.4 |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators | 9.2 |
| Information and record clerks, all other | 74.7 |
| Information security analysts | 16.8 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers | 37.0 |
| Insurance claims and policy processing clerks | 82.1 |
| Insurance sales agents | 50.5 |
| Insurance underwriters | 60.1 |
| Interior designers | 79.5 |
| Interpreters and translators | 70.5 |
| Interviewers, except eligibility and loan | 78.1 |
| Janitors and building cleaners | 29.7 |
| Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers | 35.9 |
| Judges, magistrates, and other judicial workers | 53.5 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers | 22.1 |
| Landscape architects | 28.1 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers | 5.6 |
| Laundry and dry-cleaning workers | 64.3 |
| Lawyers | 38.6 |
| Legal support workers, all other | 66.5 |
| Librarians and media collections specialists | 78.0 |
| Library assistants, clerical | 76.9 |
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses | 88.5 |
| Loan interviewers and clerks | 77.8 |
| Lodging managers | 46.8 |
| Logisticians | 37.4 |
| Machine feeders and offbearers | 46.1 |
| Machinists | 4.2 |
| Magnetic resonance imaging technologists | 55.0 |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners | 82.5 |
| Mail clerks and mail machine operators | 48.7 |
| Maintenance and repair workers | 4.0 |
| Management analysts | 43.2 |
| Managers, all other | 38.2 |
| Manicurists and pedicurists | 76.9 |
| Market research analysts and marketing specialists | 58.0 |
| Marketing managers | 61.1 |
| Massage therapists | 73.8 |
| Materials engineers | 15.3 |
| Mechanical engineers | 9.3 |
| Medical and health services managers | 72.1 |
| Medical assistants | 91.2 |
| Medical records specialists | 91.0 |
| Medical scientists | 56.8 |
| Meeting, convention, and event planners | 75.7 |
| Mental health counselors | 75.5 |
| Miscellaneous agricultural workers | 19.2 |
| Miscellaneous health technologists and technicians | 64.6 |
| Miscellaneous social scientists and related workers | 49.1 |
| Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers | 34.2 |
| Motor vehicle operators, all other | 19.6 |
| Musicians and singers | 24.5 |
| Natural sciences managers | 64.1 |
| Network and computer systems administrators | 16.8 |
| News analysts, reporters, and journalists | 45.1 |
| Nuclear medicine technologists and medical dosimetrists | 46.1 |
| Nurse anesthetists | 54.8 |
| Nurse practitioners | 86.9 |
| Nursing assistants | 87.0 |
| Occupational health and safety specialists | 33.2 |
| Occupational therapists | 86.3 |
| Office and administrative support workers, all other | 73.1 |
| Office clerks, general | 82.2 |
| Operations research analysts | 49.7 |
| Opticians, dispensing | 68.4 |
| Optometrists | 41.8 |
| Order clerks | 52.7 |
| Orderlies and psychiatric aides | 39.8 |
| Other assemblers and fabricators | 34.6 |
| Other community and social service specialists | 70.2 |
| Other designers | 39.2 |
| Other drafters | 17.6 |
| Other educational instruction and library workers | 76.1 |
| Other engineering technologists and technicians | 19.6 |
| Other entertainment attendants and related workers | 42.1 |
| Other financial specialists | 56.0 |
| Other healthcare practitioners and technical occupations | 66.7 |
| Other healthcare support workers | 68.0 |
| Other installation, maintenance, and repair workers | 4.8 |
| Other life, physical, and social science technicians | 51.4 |
| Other material moving workers | 11.5 |
| Other mathematical science occupations | 42.7 |
| Other metal workers and plastic workers | 21.1 |
| Other production workers | 28.7 |
| Other protective service workers | 36.7 |
| Other psychologists | 71.1 |
| Other teachers and instructors | 53.8 |
| Other transportation workers | 22.7 |
| Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders | 52.8 |
| Packers and packagers, hand | 55.8 |
| Painters and paperhangers | 7.3 |
| Painting workers | 9.1 |
| Paralegals and legal assistants | 85.5 |
| Paramedics | 30.4 |
| Parts salespersons | 15.0 |
| Payroll and timekeeping clerks | 86.4 |
| Personal care aides | 79.4 |
| Personal care and service workers, all other | 52.9 |
| Personal financial advisors | 30.5 |
| Personal service managers, all other | 67.4 |
| Pharmacists | 56.8 |
| Pharmacy technicians | 75.9 |
| Phlebotomists | 83.1 |
| Photographers | 41.5 |
| Physical scientists, all other | 43.3 |
| Physical therapist assistants and aides | 63.8 |
| Physical therapists | 57.8 |
| Physician assistants | 64.0 |
| Police officers | 13.9 |
| Postal service clerks | 52.9 |
| Postal service mail carriers | 37.5 |
| Postal service mail sorters and processing machine operators | 44.9 |
| Postmasters and mail superintendents | 47.5 |
| Postsecondary teachers | 48.1 |
| Preschool and kindergarten teachers | 97.4 |
| Printing press operators | 19.8 |
| Private detectives and investigators | 49.0 |
| Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists | 57.8 |
| Procurement clerks | 51.7 |
| Producers and directors | 38.0 |
| Production, planning, and expediting clerks | 50.9 |
| Project management specialists | 45.1 |
| Property appraisers and assessors | 34.1 |
| Property, real estate, and community association managers | 53.2 |
| Psychiatric technicians | 73.1 |
| Public relations and fundraising managers | 67.2 |
| Public relations specialists | 63.8 |
| Public safety telecommunicators | 64.5 |
| Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products | 52.6 |
| Purchasing managers | 50.0 |
| Radio and telecommunications equipment installers and repairers | 6.3 |
| Radiologic technologists and technicians | 65.3 |
| Real estate brokers and sales agents | 51.4 |
| Receptionists and information clerks | 89.3 |
| Recreation workers | 68.3 |
| Registered nurses | 86.2 |
| Religious workers, all other | 57.0 |
| Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks | 49.9 |
| Residential advisors | 57.4 |
| Respiratory therapists | 62.4 |
| Retail salespersons | 37.4 |
| Sales and related workers, all other | 47.5 |
| Sales managers | 30.9 |
| Sales representatives of services | 28.6 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing | 26.4 |
| Secondary school teachers | 56.2 |
| Secretaries and administrative assistants | 93.0 |
| Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents | 26.5 |
| Security guards and gambling surveillance officers | 22.2 |
| Sewing machine operators | 68.5 |
| Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks | 33.4 |
| Social and community service managers | 70.7 |
| Social and human service assistants | 77.0 |
| Social workers, all other | 83.7 |
| Software developers | 18.1 |
| Software quality assurance analysts and testers | 47.4 |
| Special education teachers | 85.3 |
| Speech-language pathologists | 94.3 |
| Statistical assistants | 51.1 |
| Statisticians | 48.7 |
| Stockers and order fillers | 35.1 |
| Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors | 72.3 |
| Supervisors of personal care and service workers | 50.7 |
| Supervisors of transportation and material moving workers | 24.9 |
| Surgeons | 21.0 |
| Surgical technologists | 75.3 |
| Tailors, dressmakers, and sewers | 66.3 |
| Tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents | 63.6 |
| Tax preparers | 58.9 |
| Taxi drivers | 12.0 |
| Teaching assistants | 82.4 |
| Technical writers | 56.1 |
| Television, video, and film camera operators and editors | 19.2 |
| Tellers | 85.9 |
| Therapists, all other | 80.8 |
| Title examiners, abstractors, and searchers | 75.8 |
| Training and development managers | 59.0 |
| Training and development specialists | 53.6 |
| Transportation security screeners | 36.2 |
| Transportation service attendants | 17.8 |
| Transportation, storage, and distribution managers | 21.3 |
| Travel agents | 77.9 |
| Tutors | 68.1 |
| Urban and regional planners | 44.6 |
| Veterinarians | 63.1 |
| Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers | 83.9 |
| Veterinary technologists and technicians | 89.5 |
| Waiters and waitresses | 63.3 |
| Web and digital interface designers | 46.0 |
| Web developers | 26.5 |
| Weighers, measurers, checkers, and samplers | 43.5 |
| Welding, soldering, and brazing workers | 5.3 |
| Wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products | 48.7 |
| Writers and authors | 55.5 |
While the majority of women tend to vote Democratic, they have differences in voting between women of different races. White women tend to vote for the Republican party, black and Hispanic tend to vote for the Democratic party.
Women's reproductive health in the United States refers to the set of physical, mental, and social issues related to the health of women in the United States. It includes the rights of women in the United States to adequate sexual health, available contraception methods, and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. The prevalence of women's health issues in American culture is inspired bysecond-wave feminism in the United States.[80] As a result of this movement, women of the United States began to question the largely male-dominated health care system and demanded a right to information on issues regarding their physiology and anatomy.[80] The U.S. government has made significant strides to propose solutions, like creating theWomen's Health Initiative through the Office of Research on Women's Health in 1991.[80] However, many issues still exist related to the accessibility of reproductive healthcare as well as the stigma and controversy attached to sexual health, contraception, and sexually transmitted diseases.[81][82]
The Department of Health and Human Services has developed a definition for sexual health in the United States based on theWorld Health Organization's definition of sexual health.[83]
"Sexual health is a state of well-being in relation to sexuality across the life span that involves physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual dimensions. Sexual health is an intrinsic element of human health and is based on positive, equitable, and respectful approach to sexuality, relationships, and reproduction, that is free of coercion, fear, discrimination, stigma, shame, and violence.[84]
The United States government recognizes that gender is a factor which plays a significant role in sexual health.[84]
With this being said, there is a war on women's rights in the United States. It is based on politics in the United States and for candidates to be able to get votes or funding for certain area agendas. With this being said, one of the first pushes with making laws tighter for agendas would be the law in Louisiana. This allowed women who have had abortions in the past to be able to sue the doctor who did the procedure for up to ten years past the abortion date. The law stated that they could sue for damages not only done to the women, but also to the emotional damages of the fetus. This was a political move that has gotten the ball rolling for more states to put laws into place against abortions or for abortions depending on the political agenda they are pushing in each state.[85]Violence against women has been recognized as a public health concern in the United States.[86]Culture in the country has promoted thetrivialization of women-directed violence, with media in the United States creating the appearance of violence against women unimportant to the public.[87]
TheCenters for Disease Control and Prevention and theNational Institute of Justice reports that about 1 in every 4 women suffer from at least one physical assault experience from a partner during adulthood.[88] Studies have found that around 20% of women in the United States have been victims ofrape[89][90] with many incidents of rape being underreported according to a 2013 study.[91]
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