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The labor participation rate is the percentage of the labor force that is either
employed or actively seeking employment. In the last three decades, the labor participation rate increased primarily because many more women took jobs out-
side the home. In 1975, around 46 percent of women worked outside the home. By 2005, the figure had risen to nearly 60 percent. Some reasons for the increase are that women have been choosing not to marry, to delay marriage, or to marry
and pursue careers before or while raising children.

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Studies show that men tend to earn more than women do. It is not clear if this
difference is due to discrimination against women or to the nature of the jobs
women do. There are a few professions in which women predominate. Wages
tend to be lower in jobs that employ lots of women than in jobs held primarily
by men. For instance, most dental hygienists are women, whereas most airline
pilots are men. Pilots tend to earn more money than dental hygienists. But what happens when the jobs are not the same but require similar levels of training and responsibility? Comparable worth means paying workers equally for jobs with similar but not identical job requirements.

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Equality for all is one of the basic principles on which the United States was founded. Yet, some groups of Americans have found it difficult to obtain jobs
or be promoted on an equal basis. Several laws have been passed to outlaw
discrimination on the basis of race, gender, national origin, color, religion, age,
handicap, and other characteristics.

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The prosperity of Americans is not equally distributed among the population. According to the Bureau of the Census, between 12 and 15 percent of the popu-
lation in any given year live in poverty. This means that these people are poorly housed, clothed, and fed. Many live in inner-city slums or in rural areas. Statisticssuggest that the richest 20 percent of American families have continued to earn
more over the past 30 years, whereas the income of the lowest fifth has remained
about the same. Thus, the gap between the rich and poor is widening.

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The gross domestic product (GDP) of a country cannot increase unless there
are enough people to provide the necessary labor and to purchase the goods
and services produced. Population statistics enable businesses to plan how much
and what kinds of goods and services to offer. However, the GDP of a country must grow at a faster rate than its population in order to improve living stan-dards. Both the size and the characteristics of the population are important in business planning.