It's not just women falling behind at work. This group is, too.

"The jobs report last week offered a more sunny outlook than expected, with an uptick of 115,000 jobs in April; the unemployment rate also held steady at 4.3%. The data also, however, points to a more nuanced story about a broader shift in the labor force. Last month, the number of men who were working or actively looking for a job fell to the lowest figure seen in decades, with the exception of an anomalous dip during the early months of the pandemic. That means a third of men have dropped out of the workforce as of April."

"Much of the recent job growth has happened in industries that are dominated by women, like healthcare and education, while sectors like manufacturing that were overwhelmingly staffed by men have lost jobs. A recent report from Indeed's Hiring Lab found that between February 2025 and February 2026, the share of jobs held by women climbed by nearly 300,000; meanwhile, the share of jobs held by men decreased by 142,000. More broadly, however, the gender gap in employment has been narrowing for decades, and women had actually already outpaced men on non-farm payrolls back in 2020."

"While job losses during the pandemic-and systemic issues that have kept mothers out of the workforce-set them back, women eventually overtook men in the workforce earlier this year. The losses among working men are not solely driven by people retiring or aging out of the workforce. Younger men, too, are stepping away from work for a variety of reasons, according to an analysis by the Washington Post. Some of them are going back to school or taking on caregiving duties, but a significant share are dropping out of t"

Women and working mothers face challenges that threaten their position in the labor force, while men are also dropping out for different reasons. April’s jobs report showed 115,000 added jobs and an unemployment rate of 4.3%, but labor force participation data showed a broader shift. The number of men working or actively seeking work fell to the lowest level in decades, excluding an early-pandemic anomaly, with about a third of men dropping out by April. Job growth has concentrated in women-dominated fields such as healthcare and education, while manufacturing has lost jobs. Women’s share of jobs increased while men’s share declined, and the employment gender gap has narrowed over decades, with women overtaking men earlier this year. Some men are leaving work for schooling or caregiving responsibilities, beyond retirement or aging.

Read at Fast Company