Nearly 3 million U.S. women have dropped out of the labor force in the past year
By Megan Cerullo
Working women hit harder by COVID economic fallout
Nearly 3 million American women have left the labor force over the past year in a coronavirus-induced exodus that reflects persistent pay inequality, undervalued work and antiquated notions of caregiving.
Before the pandemic, women consisted more than 50% of the country's workforce, underlining their importance to the economy. But that number has dropped sharply as many women, particularly mothers of young children, have been furloughed or laid off. Many others have had to choose between showing up at front-line jobs or caring for their children who, with daycare centers closed and school underway remotely, would otherwise be left without supervision.