For Oregon Parents, Working is the Norm

Working parents account for almost one-third of the state labor force, a slightly lower share than the nation. Parents are more likely to be working than people without children under 18. The participation rate for the population with no children under 18 is 59.7 percent, compared with 82.6 percent of parents with children under 18.

Labor force participation of parents differs by gender and the age of children.  For parents of children under six years of age, there's a big difference in the labor force experiences of men versus women. Of the men in this group, 93.4 percent are in the labor force, compared with 68.5 percent of Oregon mothers of children under age six. The gender gap in labor force participation is reduced somewhat for parents of children ages six to 17.

In addition to the age of the kids waiting for dinner at home and a worker's gender, there's the effect of marital status. Married mothers are less likely to work, and married fathers are more likely to work. Overall, 83.5 percent of married parents in Oregon were in the labor force in 2011.

For more information, check out the full article written by Jessica Nelson.