Here's Why Pandemic Was So Hard on Families

The latest statistics on the labor force participation of women with children under age 18 shows why the pandemic has been so hard on families. With the great majority of mothers in the labor force, family life was thrown into turmoil as day care arrangements closed and schooling turned remote. Below is a comparison of the labor force participation rates of mothers in 2021 with their counterparts in 1975 by age of child...

Labor force participation rate of all women with children under age 18

2021: 71.2%

1975: 47.4%

Percentage point change: +23.8

Labor force participation rate of women with children aged 6-17, none younger

2021: 75.5%

1975: 54.9%

Percentage point change: +20.6

Labor force participation rate of women with children under age 6

2021: 65.6%

1975: 39.0%

Percentage point change: +26.6

Labor force participation rate of women with children under age 3

2021: 63.1%

1975: 34.3%

Percentage point change: +28.8

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Characteristics of Families—2021 and Women in the Labor Force: A Databook 2020