Democratic Women’s Caucus Urges DOL to Address Alarming Number of Women Leaving the Workforce

Democratic Women's Caucus Urges DOL to Address Alarming Number of Women Leaving the Workforce

WASHINGTON, DC - Tuesday, September 16, Democratic Women's Caucus (DWC) Vice Chairs Emilia Sykes (OH-13) and Hillary Scholten (MI-03) led 40 Members of the DWC in 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.

As the Members explain in their letter, since this 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. 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."

In their letter, the Members highlight the importance of equipping women with supportive policies so they can be in the workforce if they choose to:

"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."

The Members also express their disappointment that the administration has dismantled the Women's Bureau, especially at a time when working women particularly need support:

"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 from Members of the Democratic Women's Caucus here.

In addition to letter leads Hillary Scholten and Emilia Sykes, the letter was signed by Pramila Jayapal, Jasmine Crockett, Nydia Velázquez, Ayanna Pressley, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Valerie Foushee, Lateefah Simon, Rashida Tlaib, Yvette Clarke, LaMonica McIver, Grace Meng, Betty McCollum, Val Hoyle, Julia Brownley, Sarah McBride, Jill Tokuda, Suzanne Bonamici, Joyce Beatty, Maggie Goodlander, Julie Johnson, Deborah Ross, Frederica Wilson, Andrea Salinas, Teresa Leger Fernández, Chrissy Houlahan, Emily Randall, Nikki Budzinski, April McClain Delaney, Laura Friedman, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Norma Torres, Nikema Williams, Sara Jacobs, Kelly Morrison, Chellie Pingree, Lucy McBath, Mary Gay Scanlon, Veronica Escobar, and Nellie Pou.