Recent Moms with Higher Education More Likely to be in Workforce

In the midst of what has been described as a landmark decade for women in the labor force, a new analysis of Connecticut and U.S. data finds that the general perception that highly educated and high-earning women exit the labor force to have children is not the general trend, and that nearly 3 in 4 women who gave birth in the past 12 months in Connecticut are in the labor force.

The analysis, by the Connecticut Data Collaborative, suggests that policymakers and decision makers, in the public and private sector, should consider recent data regarding how women are participating in the workforce, noting both the similarities and differences in Connecticut compared to the nation overall.

The Connecticut Data Collaborative (CTData) is a statewide public-private partnership that advocates for the public availability of open and accessible data, serving nonprofits, advocates, policymakers, community groups, and funders in using data to drive policy and improve programs and services, budgeting and decision making at the state, regional and local levels.

Women represent nearly half of the labor force both nationally (47.2%) and in the state of Connecticut (48.6%). In addition, the Wall Street Journal recently noted that 2019 marks “the first year that women make up the majority of the college-educated labor force, a milestone that is already altering benefits packages offered by companies.” These changes are insightful, given that labor force participation is even higher for women who have had a child during the past 12 months.

A recent analysis of the 2017 American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau found that 63.2% of women* in the U.S. who gave birth in the past 12 months were in the labor force - employed, on leave from work, or unemployed. The percent in Connecticut is higher, with 73% - nearly 3 in 4 - of these women in the labor force.

A common perception is that highly educated and high-earning women exit the labor force to have children. However, the national data indicates that is not accurate - recent mothers with higher education are actually more likely to be in the labor force and less likely to be on leave from work.

Across the United States, 81% of recent mothers with a graduate or professional degree are in the labor force (71.2% working, 9.2% on leave, 1.5% unemployed). The story is similar in Connecticut with 76% in the labor force (69% working, 6.5% on leave, 0.8% unemployed).

Among the notable differences between the national and state findings:

• Connecticut has 31.3% more recent mothers in the labor force with a high school diploma or less (67.1% CT, 51.1% US).
• Connecticut has almost twice the percent of recent mothers with a bachelor’s degree on temporary leave from work than the national figure (13.4% CT, 8.2% US).

At nearly every level of education – high school diploma or less, some college or associate’s degree, and bachelor’s degree – the percentage of women who gave birth within the past year and are employed and at work in Connecticut exceeds the national percentage. The reverse is true, just slightly, for women with a graduate or professional degree, 71.2% nationwide and 69% in Connecticut. The highest percentage of those in the labor force but unemployed, after giving birth within the past year, is among those with a high school diploma or less – 7.4% nationally and 8.2% in Connecticut.

“This data demonstrates one of the many ways that individuals and organizations in Connecticut can use public data to understand their communities, constituents and employees,” said Elizabeth Grim, Director of Community Impact at CTData. “While the data does not identify the reasons behind the numbers, the findings suggest further investigation is warranted.”

Data for this analysis comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates, 2017 and was analyzed using IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota, www.ipums.org.

As part of CTData’s commitment to increase data literacy and build data capacity across the state, workshops and trainings are offered through the CTData Academy. The goal of the CTData Academy is to increase data literacy, build data capacity and enable nonprofits, state and local government, community groups, and organizations across the state to effectively use their own data, open data, and data from other sources, for the purpose of understanding, measuring, advocating, and positively impact lives. More than 200 data sets are now accessible to the public on the CT Data website, including a wide array of subjects and policy categories.

Among its areas of responsibility, CTData has been designated as the lead organization for the State of Connecticut in the U.S. Census Bureau’s State Data Center Program and as Connecticut’s official source for Census data related to the 2020 Census.

More information on the CTData Academy, CT Data programs and events, and current datasets is available at ctdata.org.