U.S. workforce participation among women falls in January

By Madison Parry

January estimates show around 275,000 women left the workforce, compared to 71,000 men. The sharp contrast continues a national trend seen over the last year. Since last February, nearly 2.4 million women have exited the labor market versus 1.8 million men.

A lasting workforce theme over the last several months has been the decline of women in the labor market.

January 2021 saw an estimated 275,000 women exit the workforce according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a significantly larger count than the estimated exit of 71,000 men.

Women make up over half of the 7 million people considered out of the labor market but aren’t considered unemployed, according to the report.

Since February 2020, around 2.4 million women have left the workforce, versus just under 1.8 million men.

Though the loss in women is significant, according to a monthly jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. economy added 49,000 net jobs last month in January.

The total of 49,000 jobs was comprised entirely of women as females gained roughly 87,000 jobs and men lost 38,000 in January.