Opt-Out? by Heather Boushey

Posted 29 April, 2007 in Uncategorized

Linda Hirshman claims (”Off to Work She Should Go,” April 25, 2007) that a new Labor Dept. report contradicts my research showing that married mothers are not leaving the labor force more frequently than other women. However, the government’s report didn’t even investigate this topic. The tables in the report only present data on employment rates of married mothers, not non-mothers. Looking at the job rates of all workers is necessary to determine whether the decline is due to other factors. 

Employment rates are lower for all U.S. workers, so how can this problem be attributable to motherhood? Unlike prior economic recoveries, over five years after the recession ended, the share of both mothers and non-mothers (and men) at work remains below its pre-recession peak. The question isn’t why won’t women get to work, but why hasn’t this recovery— with the slowest job creation on record—created good jobs for millions of women? 

Heather Boushey is a Senior Economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

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