For most of the last two decades, the share of women participating in the U.S. labor force was in decline, puzzling demographers and economists since female participation was rising in many other developed economies.
Thanks to a strong economy, that long-running decline shows signs of reversing. Labor-force participation among prime-age U.S. women aged 25 to 54 has risen to 75.2% from 73.3% three years ago, as their unemployment rate dropped to the lowest level since the 1950s.
A plenitude of jobs and a gradual rise in wages is drawing women back into the labor force, including those at the low end of the skill spectrum. For female high-school dropouts aged 25 and over, participation has risen to 33.8% from 32.1% three years ago, even as participation for college grads stagnated.
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