The document discusses trends showing that women now make up half of the U.S. workforce for the first time in history. Graphs and data from the U.S. Labor Department show steady increases in the number of women participating in the labor force from January 2009 to September 2009, reaching 50.15% of the total workforce by September. However, women still earn less than men and are more impacted by unemployment. The document also notes that in Ohio, women have lower rates of educational attainment beyond high school and face health issues like higher cancer and heart disease mortality compared to other states.