Want Women to Earn More? Train Them for Manufacturing

Helping single working mothers move into jobs traditionally held by men could help more than 4.1 million low-income families move toward joining the middle class, according to a report released this week by the Working Poor Families Project, a not-for-profit that studies state workforce development policies.

If women moved into jobs in manufacturing, skilled trades, or transportation in greater numbers, they could increase their earnings by up to 30 percent. Currently, nearly half of all low-income, working women—those who earn below 200 percent of the federal poverty line and who head households—work primarily in 16 occupations clustered around the service and retail sectors. Often, these lower-paying jobs do not provide benefits like health insurance or paid sick leave, according to the report.