Childcare Shortages Drive 400,000 Women From US Workforce

More than 400,000 women exited the United States workforce during the first half of 2025, representing the steepest decline for mothers of young children in more than 40 years. An analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data by the University of Kansas identified the high cost and limited availability of childcare as the primary drivers of this trend.

Economist Misty Heggeness stated that a lack of support and structure around policies for caregivers forces mothers to choose between their employment and their children. Heggeness noted that women often leave their jobs because the alternative of balancing both is too intense and exhausting. She argued that when faced with this choice, mothers will not leave their children, leaving them with no option but to exit the labor force.