On November 29, 2012, the Census Bureau released the 2006-2010 American Community Survey Equal Opportunity Tabulation.  The tabulation has been published decennially since the 1970s and has 107 tables measuring the labor force across sexes, races, and ethnicities.  

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Employment Litigation Section of the Civil Rights Division for the Justice Department, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs for the Department of Labor, and the Office of Personnel Management all helped with the tabulation.  

The women’s labor force increased 0.4 percent between 2006 and 2010.  The most growth occurred between 1970 and 1980.  In the wake of fights for women’s rights and equal pay in the workplace, the women’s workforce grew 4.6 percent from 1970 to 1980.  

50 percent of all veterinarians were women from 2006 to 2010 (up from 40 percent in 2000), and 32 percent of all physicians and surgeons were women (up from 27 percent in 2000).  Female dentists increased from 18 percent to 23 percent.  

The occupations that shared the most equal percentages between men and women were bus drivers and food service managers.  47.5 percent of bus drivers and 46.9 percent of food service managers were women.  

Still, the most common occupations for a woman between 2006 and 2010 were a secretary or administrative assistant (3.8M), cashier (2.8M), and an elementary or middle school teacher (2.7M).

The most common occupation for a man was a truck driver (3.2M).  The men’s workforce significantly grew in teller positions, loan interviewers, insurance claims, and clerks.  

The Hispanic labor force grew the most out of any racial or ethnic group category, growing 53 percent (or from 14.7 million to 22.5 million) from 2000 to 2010.  Non-Hispanic Caucasians still made up the majority of the labor force from 2006 to 2010 (67 percent).  Hispanics represented 15 percent; non-Hispanic African-Americans represented 11 percent; and non-Hispanic Asians represented 5 percent of the labor force.  

For a complete listing of all tables, visit the Equal Employment Opportunity Tabulation’s website.  

Source: U.S. Census Bureau