The 1950 census of the United States was the first where women out numbered men. It has remained as such in each census since. According to the The Council of State Governments and the 2020 U.S census women out number men in all but nine states.

Demographic Breakdown

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 161 million females in the U.S. in 2013 versus 156.1 million males, or about a ratio of 1-to-1. That ratio shifts dramatically when looking at older populations, however: at age 85 and older, women outnumber men by a ratio of 2-to-1 (4.0 million to 2.0 million).

Nationally, females make up 50.8 percent of the population, but that percentage varies across states.

The District of Columbia has the highest percentage of females at 52.8 percent followed by Rhode Island at 51.7 percent and Maryland at 51.6 percent. On the other hand, Alaska has the lowest percentage of females at 48.0 percent followed by Wyoming at 49.0 percent and North Dakota at 49.5 percent.

There are only nine states where males make up more than 50 percent of the population: Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.

Women in the Workforce

According to the Census Bureau, 75.1 million females age 16 and older participated in the civilian labor force in 2013 – 47.4 percent of the labor force.  63 percent of social scientists were women, the heaviest representation of women among all STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields. In addition, 14 percent of engineers, 45 percent of mathematicians and statisticians and 47 percent of life scientists were women.

Since 1970, female representation in select occupations have changed dramatically. For example, in 1970, only 12.1 percent of pharmacists were female. In 2010, that percentage had jumped to 52.6 percent. In 1970, 24.6 percent of accountants were female – in 2010, the number had jumped to 60 percent. In 1970, 9.7 percent of physicians and surgeons were female, but 32.4 percent of those in the field were female in 2010. Lawyers and judges went from 4.9 percent female to 33.4 percent female over the same 40 year period.

Women in Government 

Although women make up a slight majority of registered voters (53 percent), only one in four state legislators are women, according to Rutgers’s Center for American Women and Politics. That percentage has increased significantly since 1971, however, when only 344 or 4.5 percent of state legislators were female, compared to 1,786 or 24.2 percent in 2015.

Colorado has the highest percentage of female legislators among all states at 42.0 percent followed by Vermont at 41.1 percent. In addition, thirteen women serve as presidents of senates or as presidents pro tempore in states where that is the top senate leadership post.

Women hold 24.5 percent of statewide elective executive offices, or 78 out of 318 available positions. Women have served as governors in six states—Kate Brown in Oregon, Mary Fallin in Oklahoma, Nikki Haley in South Carolina (state’s first female governor), Maggie Hassan in New Hampshire, Susan Martinez in New Mexico (state’s first female governor) and Gina Raimondo in Rhode Island (state’s first female governor).

1967 – Jayne Mansfield is killed when her car runs under the rear end of a tractor trailer.  Since then, all trailers have a DOT bar at the rear to keep cars from going under them.

1982 – Seven people die when Tylenol packaging is tampered with.  Since then it takes an enormous amount of effort to open any bottle of pills.

1995 – A bombing using a certain fertilizer, solution grade ammonium nitrate, kills 168, so the government imposed severe restrictions on the purchase of that fertilizer.

2001 – One person attempts to blow up an airplane with a shoe bomb so now every traveler has to take off their shoes for scanning before boarding  a plane.

Since 1968 – 1,516,863 people have died from gunshot wounds in the United States.  Gun violence kills an average of 168 people every two days.  ALMOST 30% OF THOSE ARE WOMEN.  Now all the government has to offer to solve the problem is thoughts and prayers.

Many of you may not remember or be too young to remember what it was like before Roe v. Wade.  Women of means found a way to travel to places where abortion was legal.  A small number of brave doctors risked their lives and livelihoods to secretly perform the procedure under sanitary conditions.  However, the vast majority of women, finding they had an unplanned and/or unwanted pregnancy, sought back-alley providers or used dangerous methods to abort on their own.  This is how the coat hanger became the symbol of illegal abortions.

The new Texas law is taking us back to the brink of that terrible time again.  Please do yourself a favor and look at the documentary "When Abortion Was Illegal - Untold Stories" on Youtube. Director Dorothy Fadiman brings together first person stories to show why those who choose to take away abortion rights are dooming women to die.  Abortions won't stop.  They will just become deadly for many women who are desperate.

I hope looking at this documentary will inspire you to do everything you can to stand up and fight against any law that prevents women from making her own choice of when and if she will have children.  This is a right no one should have the power to take away.  "WE WON'T GO BACK!"

Recently we posted a story about the lies and deceit of fake abortion clinics branding themselves as “crisis pregnancy centers”.  Today we are offering the information you will need should you or someone you know find they have an unintended pregnancy.  We are not and cannot give you legal or medical advice.  We offer these as trusted sites where you can avail yourself of information with which you can make an informed decision about what you will do.

Women Help Women is an international non-profit organization, which has a strong focus in support of safe, self-managed abortions.  In addition, it provides information on contraception and other related matters.  SASS (Self-managed Abortion, Safe and Supported) is a project of Women Help Women in the United States.  Both of these sites has an abundance of help and information.  You will find a brief description of these organizations in our Resource Library under the category of Reproductive Rights.  Take advantage of this resource.

                       www.womenhelp.org                                                   www.abortionpillinfo.org