2017 Issue

41 women jumps up to levels near the national average. (See Table 1 for more details. 8 ) Table 1: Percentage of Women in the Labor Force by Age Age U.S. Women Utah Women 16–19 39.2% 54.0% 20–21 67.8% 74.0% 22–24 76.9% 81.2% 25–29 78.2% 72.9% 30–34 75.9% 66.3% 35–44 76.0% 68.4% 45–54 74.9% 71.9% 55–59 66.9% 64.6% 60–61 57.8% 56.6% 62–64 45.6% 43.4% 65–69 27.1% 25.0% Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2015, American Community Survey. Marital status is another telling factor when it comes to Utah women’s employment. Married women in the state are less likely to be in the labor force than the national average, but Utah women who are not currently married are more likely to be in the labor force than the average U.S. woman. Specific labor force participation rates are as follows: 56.4% of Utah married women (vs. 58.9% U.S.), 70.6% of Utah women who have never been married (vs. 66.4% U.S.), 70.7% of Utah women who are separated (vs. 65.7% U.S.), 70.0% of Utah women who are divorced (vs. 62.9% U.S.), and 18.4% of Utah women who are widowed (vs. 18.1% U.S.) 9 Utah women’s labor force participation also varies by ethnicity: a recent report showed that 64.8% of Hispanic women, 61.9% of women who identified as “other” or two or more races, 60.4% of Asian/Pacific Islander women, 59.3% of White women, and 55.9% of Native American women are in the labor force (data for Black women in Utah were not available). 10 Although a majority of Utah mothers do participate in the labor force, Utah mothers of young children are less likely to be employed than U.S. mothers. 2012 U.S. Census Bu- reau estimates show that 61% of Utah mothers with children under age 6 work (vs. 70% U.S.), 51% of Utah mothers with children under age 6 and children ages 6–17 work (vs. 64% U.S.), 73% of Utah mothers whose children are all between the ages of 6–17 work (vs. 77% U.S.), and 76% percent of Utah mothers with no children under age 18 work (this is higher than the national average of 73%). 11 Although the majority of Utah mothers do work, Utah ranks last in the nation for children with both parents in the labor force with 52%, well below the national average of 65%. 12 Utah also has the largest gap in the nation between fathers’ and mothers’ participation in the labor force, at 42.7%. 13 Also, 77% of Utah women with no children work. 14 Women’s labor force participation rates also vary somewhat according to where they live in Utah. A recent report stated that the counties with the highest female labor force partic- ipation are Summit (65.3%), Salt Lake (64.8%), Grand (64.7%), and Beaver (62.9%); the counties with the lowest rates are Washington (49.8%), Duchesne (49.3%), Piute (49.0%), and Daggett (45.0%). 15 Occupational Segregation One key aspect of understanding the female labor force in Utah is occupational segregation—the phenomenon of women holding a high percentage of jobs in certain indus- tries as well as specific positions within those industries. In some ways, occupational segregation has been decreasing over time; for example, in 1980, around one quarter of Utah women worked in jobs in which approximately 90% of the workers in that field were women. By 2000, only 10% of Utah women worked in such occupations. Conversely, some positions, such as elementary school teachers and cosme- tologists, became even more female dominated during those same years. 16 Today, Utah women still make up a high percentage of all workers in certain occupations, many of which require relatively lower skills and receive lower pay. According to 2015 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the three areas where Utah women are most highly segregated are healthcare support occupations (83.4% of workers are women), personal care and service occupations (79.2%), and health technologists and technicians (73.7%). 17 The median incomes for all workers in these three occupational areas are, respectively, as follows: $19,286, $13,001, and $26,890. The median income for each of these three female- dominated professions is below average for all professions in the state ($31,446). 18 In contrast, the occupations where the lowest percentage of jobs are held by women are construction and extraction occupations (2.1%); installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (3.2%);