The upsurge of women entering the workforce has been one of the biggest economic revolutions of our time.
Millions of women who once depended on men for financial stability finally took the reins into their own hands. The story began nearly 300 years ago ...
The Daughter of Liberty, organized in 1765 to boycott British goods, became the first society of working women.
The United Tailoresses of New York became the first union for women.
In 1903, the National Women's Trade Union League formed to advocate better wages and working conditions.
There was an "Uprising of the 20,000" female workers in New York who went on strike in 1909 over poor sweatshop conditions.
Massachusetts was the first state to adopt a minimum wage law for women and minors in 1912.
Jeannette Rankin became the first woman elected to the US House of Representatives in 1912.
The Suffragist, “the only women's political newspaper in the United States," was published by the Congressional Union and National Woman's Party from 1913 to 1921.
During WWI women took on heavy industry and public service jobs, expanding their roles in society.
The Women's Bureau of the Dept. of Labor was formed by an act of Congress in 1920.
FDR was a huge advocate for women's rights, appointing Francis Perkins as Secretary of Labor.
WWII was a historic moment for women entering the workforce. Almost seven million women filled jobs left vacant by servicemen.
By 1963, Congress passed a law mandating equal pay for both genders.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a huge win for women, prohibiting employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, nationality and gender.
By 1968, the EEOC made it illegal to have sex-segregated help wanted ads in newspapers.
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 banned discrimination against pregnant women in the workplace.
In 1982, 1,700 female flight attendants won a $37 million lawsuit against United Airlines for firing them once they got married.
Sandra Day O'Connor was the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1981.
Two years later, Sally Ride traveled to space.
During the Gulf War, women officially served in combat for the first time.
Hillary Clinton changed history by running for President in 2008.
Now there are about 72 million women in the workforce — nearly 30 million more than in 1984.
Women earn on average 81.2 percent of what men earn. In 1979, this ratio was 62 percent.
Women make up 46.9 percent of the labor force and about 14 percent are in executive positions at Fortune 500 companies.
Last year Marissa Mayer was named the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company. She was also the only CEO ever appointed while pregnant.
Women now own nearly 40 percent of businesses in the U.S.
Today, 48 percent of working women make at least half the income for their families.
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg says that we're in a "stalled revolution for women," but others are arguing that we're actually in the Women's Second Movement.
Now read more about how far we've come
