Impact of women leaving the workforce According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, there were 2.2 million fewer women in the workforce in October 2020 than in October 2019. The number of women participating in the workforce has dropped 57%, the lowest level since 1988. Christy talks with Univ. of Michigan Labor Economist Dr. Betsey Stevenson and Julie Kashen from The Century Foundation for more on the ascendancy of women in the workforce pre-pandemic and the setbacks they’re facing now.