Women at Work in 1970: The Numbers
1970 sits at an inflection point. The second-wave feminist movement was in full force; Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act had outlawed sex discrimination in employment; women were about to enter professions in numbers that would transform law, medicine, and business over the next four decades. This page tracks the numbers at the start of that shift.
By specialty
| Specialty | Women (%) |
|---|---|
| Clerical | 34.5% |
| Service Workers | 17.3% |
| Operatives (manufacturing) | 14.7% |
| Professional-Technical | 14.5% |
| Sales | 6.9% |
| Managers and Administrators | 3.6% |
| Lawyers and Judges | 4.9% |
| Physicians | 8.9% |
| Engineers | 1.6% |
| University Faculty | 24.6% |
Trend
1970 was just before two major inflections: Title IX in 1972 (which opened athletic and educational opportunities) and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 (which let women hold credit without a male co-signer). Women's professional-school enrollment would triple by 1980.
| Year | Women entering (%) |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 34% |
| 1960 | 38% |
| 1970 | 43% |
| 1975 | 46% |
| 1980 | 52% |
Patient outcomes
Key legal and cultural shifts during this period: Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act began being enforced against employment discrimination. The 'pill' (approved 1960) had transformed family planning. The Second Wave feminist movement — Betty Friedan's *The Feminine Mystique* (1963), the founding of NOW (1966) — was peaking in political influence.
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Women's share of first-year law students grew from 4% in 1970 to 10% in 1975 to 36% by 1980 — an extraordinary decade-long shift driven by the enforcement of Title IX and anti-discrimination law.
American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession · 1980
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Women's medical school enrollment grew from 8% in 1970 to 26% by 1980 — roughly tripled in a decade.
AAMC historical data · 1980
Sources
Frequently asked
What happened to women's labor force participation in the 1970s?
Explosive growth. Participation rose from 43% in 1970 to 52% in 1980 — the fastest decade of growth in US history to that point. Driven by second-wave feminism, civil-rights enforcement, and the end of institutional 'marriage bars.'
When did women start entering law and medicine?
Women's share of first-year law students went from 4% in 1970 to 36% in 1980. Medical school enrollment tripled from 8% to 26% in the same period. The professions were remade in a decade.
Was the pay gap closing in 1970?
Barely. Women earned 59% of men's full-time earnings in 1970 — almost identical to 1950. The ratio started rising after 1970, reaching 65% by 1980 and 74% by 2000.
What was the legal framework?
Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act banned employment discrimination by sex. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 required equal pay for substantially equal work. Both were being actively enforced for the first time in the early 1970s.
What role did reproductive rights play?
The oral contraceptive pill (approved 1960) is credited by Goldin and others as a key driver of women's delayed marriage and professional careers. Roe v. Wade (1973) extended the legal framework of reproductive autonomy.