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Article
Labor Force Participation Among Utah Women
The Utah Women's Health Review
  • Susan R. Madsen, Utah State University
  • Robbyn T. Scribner, Utah Valley University
Document Type
Article
Publisher
University of Utah
Publication Date
12-19-2019
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0
Disciplines
Abstract

Over the past half-century or so, Utah women’s participation in the labor force has steadily increased at a rate of about 8% per decade (Utah Women & Leadership Project, 2019). According to the most recent (2017) U.S. Census Bureau estimates, women in Utah make up 45% of the state workforce, which is slightly lower than the U.S. women’s share of the national workforce, 47.8% (United States Census Bureau, 2017a). In general, Utah women are about as likely to be employed as U.S. women, but Utah women are less likely to work full-time year-round (Department of Work-force Services, 2014). Numerous factors influence Utah women’s experiences in the labor force, including such barriers to successful employment such as trouble accessing affordable childcare and occupational segregation in lower-paying industries. Since solid employment is a key aspect of financial health, as well as a contributor to intellectual and social well-being, understanding labor force issues is critical. This research snapshot focuses on three key areas: 1. An overview of Utah women’s labor force participation, broken down by demographics, 2. An exploration of the industries and occupations in which Utah women are most likely to work, and 3. A discussion of ways to increase Utah women’s success in the labor force.

Citation Information
Madsen, S. R., & Scribner, R. T. (2019). Labor force participation among Utah women. The Utah women’s Health Review, 1(1), 137-144.