Democratic Women’s Caucus presses Dept. of Labor on workforce exodus

The Democratic Women’s Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives has sent a letter to the Secretary of Labor and the acting director of the Women’s Bureau expressing concern over the alarming rate of women leaving the workforce. Signed by 41 members, the letter notes that more than 330,000 women over the age of 20 have left the workforce this year and that the labor participation rate among women is at a low of 58.4%. “Economic indicators suggest that this exodus is not entirely voluntary,” the letter states. “Instead, women are leaving out of necessity due to the end of flexible remote work policies and lack of support for caregiving needs.” The Caucus urges the Department of Labor to investigate why women, particularly mothers, are leaving.