Where Women Work: 20 Most Common Occupations

You've Come a Long Way Baby... Or Have You?

Think back to the most common jobs that women held in your mom's day, and if that's not far enough back, think about your grandmother. Do secretaries, nurses, teachers and retail sales clerks come to mind? Now think about the most common jobs for women today: Are you envisioning managers and administrators, lawyers, marketing specialists, content producers and entrepreneurs? If so, you'd be wrong. It seems we haven't "come a long way baby" at all.

In fact, according to the latest numbers released by the United States Department of Labor, the Leading Occupations of Employed Women for 2009 are secretaries, nurses, teachers and cashiers, in that order. And in the first three, women represent over 80 percent of all those employed. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just a little surprising that even with technology and society experiencing phenomenal upheaval on a daily basis, things haven't changed much for the working woman during the past 50 years.

20 Leading Occupations of Employed Women

1. Secretaries and administrative assistants

Percent of jobs held by women: 96.8%

Median weekly earnings: $619

2. Registered nurses

Percent of jobs held by women: 92%

Median weekly earnings: $1,035

3. Elementary and middle school teachers

Percent of jobs held by women: 81.9%

Median weekly earnings: $891

4. Cashiers

Percent of jobs held by women: 74.4%

Median weekly earnings: $361

5. Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides

Percent of jobs held by women: 88.5%

Median weekly earnings: $430

6. Retail salespersons

Percent of jobs held by women: 51.9

Median weekly earnings: $443

7. First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers

Percent of jobs held by women: 44.1%

Median weekly earnings: $597

8. Waiters and Waitresses

Percent of jobs held by women: 71.6%

Median weekly earnings: $363

9. Maids and housekeeping cleaners

Percent of jobs held by women: 89.9%

Median weekly earnings: $371

10. Customer service representatives

Percent of jobs held by women: 67.9%

Median weekly earnings: $587

11. Child-care workers

Percent of jobs held by women: 95.1%

Median weekly earnings: $364

12. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks

Percent of jobs held by women: 92.3%

Median weekly earnings: $627

13. Receptionists and Information clerks

Percent of jobs held by women: 95.1%

Median weekly earnings: $516

14. First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support

Percent of jobs held by women: 71.3%

Median weekly earnings: $705

15. Managers, all others

Percent of jobs held by women: 34.1%

Median weekly earnings: $1,037

16. Accountants and auditors

Percent of jobs held by women: 61.8%

Median weekly earnings: $902

17. Teacher assistants

Percent of jobs held by women: 91.6%

Median weekly earnings: $474

18. Cooks

Percent of jobs held by women: 41.5%

Median weekly earnings: $371

19. Office clerks, general

Percent of jobs held by women: 82%

Median weekly earnings: $594

20. Personal and home care aides

Percent of jobs held by women: 85.2%

Median weekly earnings: $406

It might come as some consolation that in 2010, women overtook men in the workplace, mostly because the biggest layoffs were in the male-dominated fields of manufacturing and construction, while the female-dominated fields of education and health care were considerable safer. Women now make up about 51 percent of the work force; the numbers above are from 2009, when women made up 47.4 percent of the workforce. So it's true that times, they are a-changin' -- but just at a snail's pace.