Fewer than one-fourth of new mothers leave the paid labor force for a substantial period after childbirth.

Sixty-three percent of women with children under age six are in the labor force, and 78% of women with children 6-17 are in the labor force.

One quarter of all U.S. households with children are headed by women alone.

In 1960, women were the sole support of fewer than 10% of all families. In 1994, this figure was 18.1%.

Of the 14 million families maintained by women, 4.2 million were below the poverty level. This represents 34.6% of all families with female householders.

Women constitute 73% of all family caregivers. For 17% of working caregivers, the demands are so intense they give up work entirely or take a leave of absence in order to provide the care their family members require.

Most women will spend 17 years caring for children and 18 years helping an elderly parent. Eighty-nine percent of all women over age 18 will be caregivers to children, parents or both.

Women average 11.5 years out of the paid labor force, primarily because of care giving responsibilities; men average 1.3 years.

The net increase in family incomes between 1973 and 1993 was driven almost entirely by the gains for married couples with working wives, the only family type for which real income increased significantly over the period.

Despite the fact that employed mothers and fathers work in similarly sized organizations, fewer mothers than fathers are eligible for coverage under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) because of women's higher rate of part-time employment.

Fewer than one-fourth of new mothers leave the paid labor force for a substantial period after childbirth.

Newsweek reported in 1997 that the average woman contributes 35.1 hours each week to domestic duties, while the average man contributes 17.4 hours.