Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander joined dozens of her colleagues in the Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer expressing deep concern about the alarming rate of women leaving the workforce. The Members noted that the trend, as well as the Department of Labor (DOL)’s lack of action to investigate women leaving the workforce, combined with the administration’s dismantling of the Women’s Bureau, is incredibly concerning.
The Members explain, “With the costs of child care rising, the lack of paid family and medical leave policies, and failure by the administration to address these needs, the number of women forced out of the workforce will continue to rise.”
They continue, “Let us be clear, we firmly believe that all women should have the choice not only to decide if and when to have children, but also the choice to work outside the home or not, depending on what is best for them and their family. However, economic indicators suggest that this exodus of women from the labor force is not entirely voluntary. Instead, women are leaving out of necessity due to the end of flexible remote work policies and lack of support for caregiving needs, among other policy issues.”
They concluded, “We are disappointed to see that the DOL has not taken any actions to investigate this further or help women in this difficult position. In our previous letters, we urged the DOL to stand up for women workers by supporting the Women’s Bureau, which does essential research on these matters and proposes solutions to issues just like this. We have heard that there are very few staff remaining at the Women’s Bureau. At a time when women are leaving the workforce, we are deeply troubled that the agency tasked by Congress to address this issue is not even functioning.”
You can read the full letter here.
**Since January, more than 330,000 women 20 and older have left the workforce, and the share of mothers in the workforce has fallen to the lowest levels since the COVID-19 pandemic.**
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