WIVES IN THE LABOR FORCE - Consumer Expectations - Finance Facts - Retail Prices in U.S. and Canada - Employment - Consumer Balance Sheet - Consumer Sentiment

Sep 21, 2026

Publication sections analyze mid-1968 U.S. consumer and labor conditions. It tracks shifts in married women’s participation in the labor force since 1947, with education and income associated with employment rates. It summarizes survey-based consumer expectations for business, employment, and personal income, along with changes in purchase intentions. Additional sections compare retail price relationships between the U.S. and Canada, review June employment and unemployment movements, and present a detailed consumer balance sheet and sentiment index trends, including responses to Vietnam and inflation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

WIVES IN THE LABOR FORCE

CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS

FINANCE FACTS

RETAIL PRICES IN U.S.AND CANADA

EMPLOYMENT

CONSUMER BALANCE SHEET

CONSUMER SENTIMENT

Any or all the material in this publication may be quoted or reproduced. AUGUST 1968 # WIVES IN THE LABOR FORCE Continuing change of greatest effect and greatest magnitude in laborforce participation is among married women.More than one out ofthree married women(37%)are now in the labor force in contrast toone in five in 1947.During last twenty years,rates of participationfor other women have decreased or remained the same.As a result,married women now constitute 20%of the labor force in contrast to11%in 1947. Wives with higher levels of education are more likely to be employedthan others.Among wives 18 years old and over,50%with a collegeeducation,40%with a high school education,and 19%of those with5 years of schooling or less were working in March 1967. Economic reasons are mentioned most frequently when wives are askedwhy they work.However,about 40%of the wives whose husbandshad incomes of $3,000 to $7,000 were in the labor force in March 1967,compared with 33%of those with husbands at lower or higher incomelevels. # CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS Consumers are less optimistic about likely course of business conditionsthan they were at this time in 1967 according to survey data releasedby National Industrial Conference Board.While a relatively highproportion of those contacted in the latest probe(May-June)com-mented favorably on the present situation,there is considerably lessconfidence concerning the months ahead.Less than 20%of thosequeried expect business conditions to improve in the next six months,compared to over 24%last year.Further,more than 14%now expectthe employment situation to tighten,up from less than 12%.Also,fewer persons currently anticipate an improvement in their personalincome in the immediate future. Buying plans are down compared to mid-1967,and in some instancesquite sharply.Intentions to buy an automobile-new or used-withinthe next six months were reported by 8.8%of those most recentlycontacted,down from 10.5%a year ago.Appliance buying intentions # FINANCE FACTS A Monthly Publication on Consumer Financial Behaoior Change in Composition ofLabor Force,by MaritalStatus and Sex,1947 and 1967ihFmha lher fre are substantially below last year.In the latest probe 33 purchase planswere recorded for every 100 households contacted,down from 37.5.Readings for seven of the eight major appliances included in thisseries are weaker.Interest in television and air-conditioners is sub-stantially lower than a year ago.Plans to buy carpets,though,continuewell ahead of 1967 and plans to purchase homes are at about same levelas in mid-1967. # RETAIL PRICES IN U.S.AND CANADA Main consumption categories in Canada exhibit differing price relation-ships to those in the United States.At one extreme,cost of healthcare is more than 160%of such costs in Canada.In contrast,the costof pharmaceuticals in the United States comes to only 85%of that inCanada.The categories that come closest to matching one another incosts are apparel and reading and recreation.The cost of automobileoperation and furnishings,the two most important components ofexpenditures on durables,are lower in the U.S.than in Canada. ## EMPLOYMENT Employment advanced in June but unemployment rose as the labor forceexpanded substantially.Unemployment rate moved up from 3.5%to 3.8%as a result of an increase in unemployment among teenagers and20-24 year-olds.There were 3.6 million unemployed persons in June,an increase of 1.3 million from the May level.With many youngpeople entering the job market at the close of school,teenagers ac-counted for 1.0 million of the over-the-month rise in unemployment,while joblessness among 20-24 year-olds increased by 300,000 # CONSUMER BALANCE SHEET Asset and debt position of American consumer at end March 1968 showed 18.5 to 1 asset-to-debt ratio of all assets and debts excluding thoseinvolving homeownership where ratio was 2.5 to 1.Ratio of all assetsto debts was 7.3 to 1.Owner's equity stood at 86.4%of consu

FAQs

How did married women’s labor force participation change between 1947 and 1967?

More than one out of three married women (37%) were in the labor force in contrast to one in five in 1947. Married women then constituted 20% of the labor force versus 11% in 1947.

What do consumer survey results indicate about optimism over the next six months?

Less than 20% of those queried expected business conditions to improve in the next six months, compared to over 24% last year. More than 14% expected employment to tighten, compared with less than 12%.

What does the consumer balance sheet show for March 1968?

Total consumer assets were $2,371 billion at March 31, 1968, with current assets of $1,484 billion and total liabilities of $323 billion. Net worth was $2,048 billion at the end of March 1968.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Lucas Martin