Times are the best they have been since 1953 for females seeking to enter the labor force, according to data from the Department of Labor.

• The unemployment rate for women over 16 years of age fell to 4.1 percent in October -- down from 4.4 percent in September.

• That compares with an identical jobless rate of 4.1 percent for men -- but the rate for males moved up from 4.0 percent in September.

• The unemployment rate for married women fell from 2.6 percent to 2.4 percent -- while the jobless rate for women who are heads of households fell from 6.5 percent to 6 percent in October.

Service industries -- such as health care, education, social services, engineering and management -- added 215,000 jobs, many of which went to women, the report stated. Overall, businesses created 310,000 jobs in October.

Source: Sara Nathan, "Shrinking Labor Pool Boosts Female Job Seekers," USA Today, November 8, 1999.