Moms In Workforce Hits 3-Year Low As Companies Return to Office

For centuries, women have “worked from home” without pay—caring for children, running households and juggling it all. Only in the past few years, though, have many been able to pursue career ambitions from that same kitchen table. The boom in remote positions after the pandemic gave parents unprecedented flexibility, helping women return to the workforce at a rate even faster than men. But now, that progress is slipping away.

A new analysis of federal data finds young mothers’ labor force participation has been in steady decline this year. Between January and June, the share of working mothers ages 25 to 44 with children under 5 dropped from almost 70% to 67%—the lowest level in more than three years.

And they aren’t alone. Women across the board are also seeing declines in participation. Since January, more than 212,000 women over 20 have stopped working or looking for work, according to Labor Department data, with particularly sharp drops among Black women and those ages 25 to 34. This slide is happening despite a relatively stable U.S. unemployment rate of 4.2 percent, highlighting that the challenges are disproportionately falling on women.

Some of this dip may be linked to broader forces—a softer economy, a cooling job market and even cultural shifts such as a growing online stay-at-home mom movement. But for many women, especially mothers who want to or need to work, the bigger obstacles are systemic.

For one, return-to-office mandates are surging. US office attendance in July 2025 was up more than 10% compared to the year before, marking the highest level since the pandemic began. At the same time, the number of fully remote roles has plummeted. Today, just 7% of companies allow fully remote work, a steep drop from 21% in 2024, cutting flexibility for parents who depend on it.

Layered on top of this, childcare costs remain crushing. Child Care Aware of America reports the average annual cost of care now exceeds $13,000 per child, rivaling college tuition in many states. For families balancing multiple kids, that expense—combined with commutes and fewer flexible jobs—pushes many mothers out of the workforce altogether.

“The US is the only advanced economy that’s had declining female labor force participation in the last 20 years, and a lot of that is because of lack of social safety net and caregiving supports,” Kate Bahn, a chief economist at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research told The Washington Post. “It’s a long-term trend that appears to be getting worse.”