Percentage of Working Women in Record Drop

The percentage of women in the US job market dipped this decade through a period of economic recovery for the first time in 48 years—and the faltering economy is bound to do even more damage, reports the New York Times. Like men, American women are leaving the workplace due to mediocre wages, layoffs and outsourcing, according to a new study. The central problem is manufacturing, where one million women have lost jobs since 2001.

"We thought it was the motherhood movement," one economist said. “We did not think it was the economy, but realized that it was.” The proportion of women holding jobs in their prime working years, 25 to 54, peaked at 74.9% in 2000. Last month, it was 72.7%, translating to 4 million fewer jobs for women and wiping out 12 years of gains. (More women stories.)