Quitting 'on my own terms': Why more women are exiting the workforce

"Vases of flowers and notes scribbled with messages of support are scattered throughout Hana Kim's home in Goodyear, Arizona. Her friends and family sent them after she announced her decision to leave her job. Ms. Kim left her role as a marketing executive at an insurance carrier on Dec. 1, after months of stricter in-person work requirements and a long commute to Phoenix made it difficult for her to maintain the care she provides to her mother at home."

"Ms. Kim is part of a movement of women who are leaving their jobs. More than 330,000 women ages 20 or older have left the workforce this year, according to an analysis by the National Women's Law Center. In the first half of 2025, the employment rate of mothers of children under age 5 declined by its steepest drop in four decades, according to research by Misty Heggeness, an associate professor at the University of Kansas who studies gender economics."

"Return-to-work mandates, a federal rollback under the Trump administration of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, including some geared toward women, and a shortage of affordable care for dependents are all affecting whether women stay on the job, says Jasmine Tucker, vice president of research at the National Women's Law Center in Washington. "The trends over time are not looking good," says Ms. Tucker. "We say 'leaving the labor force,' and it sounds like it's an option, but I think the reality is that they are being shoved out.""

Hana Kim left a marketing executive role after months of stricter in-person requirements and a long commute made it difficult to provide care for her mother at home. More than 330,000 women ages 20 or older have left the workforce this year, and the employment rate for mothers of children under five experienced its steepest decline in four decades. A Lean In and McKinsey report found unusually high pressures and five-year highs in employee discontent. Return-to-work mandates, federal rollbacks of diversity, equity and inclusion policies, and shortages of affordable dependent care are reducing women's ability to stay employed. Advocates warn that many women are being pushed out rather than choosing to leave.

Read at The Christian Science Monitor