Credits: hr.asia
Recently, a greater number of women in the United States have exited paid work at rates that have economists concerned. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, from January to August of 2023, 450,000 women voluntarily left their jobs due to a series of unique challenges facing women in the workforce, with analysts estimating at least 600,000 women will have left work by the end of the year. This has been characterized as the "She-Cession": a decrease in female labor force participation caused in part by childcare economics and a decline in flexibility with remote work.
Childcare expenses have become exorbitantly high; reports from KPMG and others indicate that many parents now spend nearly half of their wages on childcare, exacerbated by the end of public support of universal childcare when pandemic-era federal funding was discontinued, and a stagnant childcare workforce as many childcare workers leave their jobs for higher pay or care for their own children. This has resulted in long waiting lists and increased enrollment fees to gain access to available childcare spots. From August of 2023, the increase in prices has far outpaced the overall inflation rate, and continues to place multiple pressures on household finances.
At the same time, employers restricted access to fully remote work. When parents with young children are shifted from 0 days in-office to a hybrid work arrangement, it typically alters their childcare plans or dictating that the least-wage earning parent (who is usually the mother) is transitioning from part-time to full-time roles or potentially leaving the workforce altogether.
This regression jeopardizes decades of advancement in gender equity. While women do get more degrees and gains in the workplace, the structural gaps exist. Policy choices matter: the reductions in funding to the Women’s Bureau by the Trump administration and stricter immigration policies (which also removed part of the childcare workforce) compounded the shortage of childcare services. Unless there is more investment in affordable childcare or flexibility to work, the She‑Cession may worsen.
References :
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/17/economy/us-women-workforce-shecession-return
This post has been shared on Reddit by @davideownzall through the HivePosh initiative.