The percentage of women who recently gave birth and remained in the workforce hit a record high in the last decade last year, according to new census data.
Maternity often excludes women from the workforce, at least temporarily – delaying the growth of their careers and earnings and contributing to the wage disparities between men and women.
But recent numbers show a shift in the last decade in the United States: 66.6% of American women who gave birth in the past 12 months were in the labor market in 2022, according to the latest American Community Survey. In 2021, the percentage was 66.5%, and in 2010 it was 61.6%.
It is believed that remote and flexible work is making it easier for new mothers to balance motherhood and career.
This is also true for new fathers – but women tend to bear the brunt of the work/life priority shifts brought on by motherhood.
But one complicating factor: the exorbitant cost of daycare and childcare, which is partly driven by the labor shortage due to low wages for caregivers.
As care becomes more expensive, more families are put in the difficult position of deciding whether it makes sense for both parents to work or for one to stay home to care for the children. Often, it is the mothers who end up staying home – partly because they are likely to earn less in the early stages.
Federal pandemic funding for daycare is about to run out and is likely to deepen the affordability crisis. It is estimated that 70,000 daycare centers, caring for 3.2 million children, could close once the funding ends, according to a widely cited estimate from The Century Foundation.
Some employers are desperately trying to drag workers back to the offices, but they are only succeeding with the hybrid work version, as many employees are adopting a lifestyle that provides greater flexibility – whether to raise a family, pursue a hobby, or simply avoid a stressful commute.
Source: Axios