While every other advanced economy is seeing stable or increased participation of women in the workforce, 212,000 women over the age of 20 have stopped working or looking for work in the U.S. from January to June of this year. Working mothers of young children have been hit hardest—down nearly 3%. [The Washington Post] These statistics represent real people forced to abandon their professional dreams and pushed to financial breaking points by a system that refuses to support them.
Corporate America Is Failing Working Mothers
The pandemic brought flexible schedules and work-from-home arrangements that allowed mothers to balance their professional goals with caring for their children. Mothers could schedule meetings during dance lessons, turn in assignments after bedtime, and save thousands on childcare. For the first time, many didn’t have to carry the crushing mental load of orchestrating work, commuting, household management, and childcare simultaneously—a load that research shows mothers carry 71% of, compared to 45% for fathers. [U.S.News]
In the last few months, major corporations and government agencies have moved back to traditional in-person requirements that fail working mothers—and 26% of women say these mandatory return-to-office policies have negatively impacted their mental health. [Deloitte] This change is compounded by dismantled diversity, equity, and inclusion policies that protect young mothers, especially young mothers of color. The unemployment rate for Black women has reached a four-year high, growing nearly one percent in the last few months. [The Washington Post]
This Isn’t About Choice—It’s About a System That Forces Impossible Decisions
Many of the families we sere are single mothers who can not afford to stop working, yet they also cannot afford the childcare that would allow them to work. The average annual cost of childcare is $13,128 per child in the U.S [CCAoA], and 50% of Americans live in “childcare deserts” with little to no access to licensed care. [American Progress] When mothers are forced out of the workforce, we all lose. Communities lose economic power, children lose role models, and families lose stability.
At Mama2Mama, we remain committed to supporting mothers who are being left behind by these recent changes. Help us build a future where mothers have the support they need to make decisions that are best for their families.
