According to a recent analysis from Third Way, there is a growing divide among employed women in the U.S., with bachelor’s degree holders significantly more likely to work full-time than women without a college education.
Using 2004 to 2024 data from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey, the report found the share of women aged 25 to 44 with at least a bachelor’s degree who are working full-time grew from 64 percent to 73 percent over the past two decades. The share of college-educated women aged 25 to 44 working part-time shrunk from 15 percent to 11 percent, while the share who were not in the labor force decreased from 19 percent to 14 percent.
In comparison, the share of similarly aged women without a college degree who are working full-time only grew by 1 percent (52 percent to 53 percent) over the same time period. The share of this group who are not in the labor force also grew by 1 percent (28 percent to 29 percent) from 2004 to 2024.
The labor participation divide among working women is even more pronounced among working mothers. Over the past two decades, the share of college-educated mothers working full-time grew by 11 percent (57 percent to 68 percent), while the share of non-college-educated, full-time working mothers has remained at 50 percent since 2004.
This difference among full-time working mothers could be due to an increase of jobs with flexible working conditions, such as remote work, that allow for a better work-life balance. From 2004 to 2024, the share of college-educated women not working full-time due to family or personal reasons dropped from 41 percent to 30 percent, while the share of non-college-educated women who said the same dropped from 38 percent to 33 percent. Many non-college-educated women work in the service sector, which often provides lower wages with variable hours and limited options for remote work, leading to challenges with securing affordable and consistent childcare.
“Policies like paid leave allow women the opportunity to take the time they need to care for their families without losing their place in the workforce,” write the authors. “And more affordable and accessible child care can help mothers with lower-incomes or less-flexible schedules receive the support they need to keep working. Policymakers need to be doing more to create an inclusive economy so that all workers, regardless of gender or level of education, can thrive.”