April 21, 2016 3:32PM # Five Graphs Celebrating Women’s Progress By [Chelsea Follett](https://www.cato.org/people/chelsea-follett) --- SHARE Harriet Tubman’s forthcoming placement on the U.S. twenty dollar bill is being hailed as a symbolic win for women. Tubman certainly deserves the honor, and Cato’s Doug Bandow [called for](https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/put-harriet-tubman-20-bill) putting Tubman on “the twenty” a year ago. In celebration of the soon-to-be-redesigned twenty dollar bill, here are 5 graphs showcasing the incredible progress that women have made in the realms of work, education, health, etc. 1. The gender wage gap, which is largely the [result of divergent career choices between men and women](http://www.aei.org/publication/some-thoughts-on-equal-pay-day-and-the-23-gender-pay-gap-myth/) rather than overt sexism, is [narrowing](http://humanprogress.org/story/2408) in the United States and in other developed countries. Part of this trend may be explained by more women entering highly paid fields previously dominated by men. For example, there are [more women inventors](http://humanprogress.org/story/2943) and [researchers](http://humanprogress.org/story/2958) in developed countries. ![label ](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/pubs_2x/public/download-remote-images/humanprogress.org/151739471190/tub1.png?itok=zqqHwMou) 2\. Around the world, girls in their teens [have fewer children](http://humanprogress.org/story/2184) and are more likely to [complete secondary education](http://humanprogress.org/story/2142). As a [smaller share](http://humanprogress.org/story/2658) of teenaged girls become mothers, many are better able to pursue education. The gender gap in [youth literacy](http://humanprogress.org/story/2101), [primary school completion](http://humanprogress.org/story/2279), and [secondary school completion](http://humanprogress.org/story/2461) are all shrinking, even in many poor areas. Today, there are actually [more women than men](http://humanprogress.org/story/2505) pursuing tertiary education and [earning college degrees](https://www.aei.org/publication/stunning-college-degree-gap-women-have-earned-almost-10-million-more-college-degrees-than-men-since-1982/). ![label ](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/pubs_2x/public/download-remote-images/humanprogress.org/81697773714/tub2.png?itok=13YatwZt) 3. In the United States, domestic violence against women has [fallen](http://humanprogress.org/static/1952) considerably since the 1990s. And the very worst kind of domestic violence—homicide of an intimate partner—has also become [rarer](http://humanprogress.org/static/1895) in the United States, both for male and female victims. Police also recorded fourteen thousand [fewer](http://humanprogress.org/story/3210) cases of rape in the United States in 2013 than in 2003—in spite of a population increase. In fact, both rapes and sexual assaults against women have [declined](http://humanprogress.org/static/3021) significantly in the United States since the 1990s. Evolving attitudes [about the acceptability of violence](http://humanprogress.org/static/1969) against women may be partially to thank. ![label ](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/pubs_2x/public/download-remote-images/humanprogress.org/96958678677/tub3.png?itok=23814ESZ) 4\. [Dramatically fewer](http://humanprogress.org/story/2391) women die in childbirth, once a common cause of death for women. Around the world, more pregnant women [receive prenatal care](http://humanprogress.org/story/2431) and more births are [attended by skilled health staff](http://humanprogress.org/story/2256). Like their mothers, newborn babies are also [less likely to die](http://humanprogress.org/story/2250), as are [infants](http://humanprogress.org/story/2386) and [children](http://humanprogress.org/story/2347) generally. Between 1990 and 2015, a girl’s likelihood of [dying before her fifth birthday](http://humanprogress.org/story/2514) fell by about 54% globally. ![label ](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/pubs_2x/public/download-remote-images/humanprogress.org/169457570641/tub4.png?itok=rjyaSRDE) 5\. More and more women [hold seats](http://humanprogress.org/story/2507) in the world’s parliaments, or hold [ministerial level positions](http://humanprogress.org/story/2370). There are also [more](http://humanprogress.org/story/2261) women legislators, managers, and senior officials. There is some evidence that women are [more likely](http://nordicparadox.se/) to rise to achieve high positions in the private sector in countries with freer markets. ![label ](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/pubs_2x/public/download-remote-images/humanprogress.org/69072389904/tub5.png?itok=SDCfq6u7) ##### Related Tags [General](https://www.cato.org/general) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).