Employment Rates For Single Mothers Fell Substantially During Recent Period Of Labor Market Weakness

Publication Date: June 2004

Publisher: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (Washington, D.C.)

Author(s): Arloc Sherman; Shawn Fremstad; Sharon Parrott

Research Area: Labor

Keywords: Women workers; Job displacement; Economic inequality; Child care costs

Type: Report

Abstract:

It is widely known that the proportion of single mothers who were employed increased substantially in the mid- and late 1990s. It is less well known, however, that during the last few years of labor market weakness, the proportion of single mothers who are employed has fallen. The employment rate among single mothers fell from 73.0 percent in 2000 to 69.8 percent in 2003 — a larger decline than among other parents or the population overall.