Despite the financial burden of lost wages, working moms continue to be the primary caregivers for their children.

• According to a Federal Reserve analysis, women aged 30 to 40 account for approximately 46% of total employment, which is slightly lower than the percentage of women aged 20 to 29.
• Although women make significant progress in their careers as they near 40, caregiving duties still decrease their labor force participation.

According to a recent analysis by the Federal Reserve, women in their mid-30s to mid-40s make up about 46% of total employment, which is slightly less than men of the same age and lower than the employment rate of women in their early 20s.

The Fed observed that, within marriages, mothers are more likely to specialize in child care than fathers, resulting in a smaller share.

Women in their 40s are more likely to leave the workforce or reduce their work hours due to caretaking responsibilities, despite making significant progress in their careers, according to the Pew Research Center.

The "motherhood penalty" refers to the negative impact that motherhood can have on a woman's career advancement and pay.

Despite the fact that women are increasingly obtaining higher levels of education and working as much as their male counterparts, they often take a break from their careers after getting married or having children, a trend that has proven resilient.

According to Kelly Shue, a professor of finance at Yale School of Management, women are more likely to leave the workforce either permanently or temporarily to care for their children.

A Pew study from August found that 26% of mothers are stay-at-home parents, compared to 7% of fathers.

On average, mothers who work full time and year-round outside the home do not recover the lost wages, which amount to $20,000 annually. According to a study by the National Women's Law Center, working mothers earn only 71 cents for every dollar earned by fathers.

Studies also indicate that they continue to bear the majority of household responsibilities.

Despite the fact that women are now breadwinners, the division of labor at home remains largely unchanged, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey.

The Pew report found that as women's financial contributions increased, they also took on a heavier load of household chores and caregiving responsibilities.

Despite her economic contributions, a woman typically takes on more household tasks, according to Richard Fry, a senior researcher at Pew.

In some cases, their responsibility for child care and domestic tasks is only increasing.

I am very productive, even though I cry a lot.

Since 2016, the number of women with partners who are responsible for most or all household work has grown, according to the annual Women in the Workplace study from Lean In and McKinsey.

According to Deloitte's Women at Work report, the percentage of women who bear the most responsibility for child care at home has increased to 50% this year, up from 46% last year.

In 2023, 37% of women reported feeling the need to prioritize their partner's career over their own, an increase from the previous year. This is partly due to their partner's higher earnings but also because of societal or cultural expectations.

In some marriages or partnerships, couples are reconsidering their views on work and family and finding a balance between the two.

High earners with higher levels of education are increasingly choosing to scale back at work, according to a 2023 working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Researchers found that the pandemic may have prompted individuals to reconsider their life priorities and become accustomed to more flexible work arrangements, such as working from home, which led them to opt for fewer work hours, especially if they could afford it.