by Wendy Wang (@WendyRWang)
The 2025 headlines about women and work fixated on a brief dip in the share of mothers with young children in the labor force. “Mothers are leaving the workforce, erasing pandemic gains,” warned The Washington Post, while The New York Times asked, “American women are leaving the workplace. Why?” Analysts pointed to return-to-office mandates, federal layoffs, and shifting political priorities in Washington.
But short-term fluctuations often even out. Looking at the long-term trajectory of mothers’ work, something more intriguing emerges. Since 2000, during the so-called “stalled revolution” when women’s overall labor force participation in the U.S. plateaued, the share of mothers with young children in the workforce actually rose. And here’s the surprise: that entire increase was driven by married mothers.
