(Bloomberg). — The growth of women aged 25-54 in the labor force has exceeded that of men for the first time since pandemic.

The share of women in their prime working years who are either employed or looking for work rose in December to 75.9%, the highest since March 2020, according to last week’s jobs report. That’s down 1 percentage point from the pre-pandemic level.

For men ages 25 to 54, it’s down 1.2 percentage point from February 2020 after having dropped in December to a seven-month low of 88%. According to latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the overall labor force participation rate remained at 61.9%.

After a stagnant August at 88.3%, the participation rate of men working in their prime years fell in three out of four months. 

Women’s rates fell more quickly in the initial onset of pandemic. They dropped from 76.9% in 2020 to 73% in April 2020, as women were forced to take care of their children.

However, only 12 percent of prime-age males aren’t employed while the ratio of females in that position is doubled. 50 years ago, men were close to one in twenty and half the women of this age didn’t work or looked for work.

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