Pandemic-era gains reversed as mothers exit workforce

Enough working mothers have exited the U.S. workforce in 2025 to reverse gains made after the pandemic, The Washington Post reported Aug. 11. The share of women in the labor force who are age 25 to 44 and living with children younger than 5 fell nearly three percentage points from January to June — the lowest level in more than three years, according to federal data analyzed by Misty Heggeness, PhD, a professor at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.

As of June, 67% of women with young children were working or looking for work, down from nearly 71% in June 2023. Many mothers reentered the workforce after the pandemic amid an expansion of remote and flexible work. Return-to-office mandates and federal layoffs have reversed that trend, the Post reported.  Since January, about 212,000 women