Female employment rate in the U.S. and USSR 1970-1988, by industry
When comparing both countries, the largest differences existed in the agriculture and construction industries; the share of women in the USSR's agricultural workforce was roughly three times larger than in the U.S. in 1970, and double in 1988; in construction the rate was almost six times higher in 1970, and three times higher in 1988. The reason for the differences decreasing over these years is due to the fact that women's share of the workforce in the U.S. grew across all industries, whereas women in the Soviet Union increasingly moved from jobs in the primary and tertiary sectors to those in service industries.