I am woman hear me roar.

Sadly, our collectively raised voices often times fall on deaf ears.

I recently came upon a startling fact. About 455,000 women left the workforce between January and August 2025, one of the steepest declines on record outside the pandemic.

Almost half of the women who left the workplace last year quit due to family pressures, including inflexible schedules, low pay, and burnout. The system is not built to support working mothers.

Many mothers feel as if they are running in place because childcare along with commuting radically eat into their paycheck.

A job with subsidized childcare and flexibility could greatly lighten the load, Until that becomes the norm, women will be forced to make tough choices.

Childcare for working mothers varies dramatically between the United States and many other developed countries. The differences usually come down to three things: cost, parental leave, and government support.

The U.S. has some of the highest childcare costs in the developed world. For many families, childcare rivals rent or college tuition.

The U.S. is the only OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) member out of 38 member countries without guaranteed national paid parental leave. The childcare crisis is estimated to cost the U.S. economy over $170 billion annually.

Nordic countries are widely considered the gold standard, providing extended paid parental leave often 9–16 months shared between parents, subsidized or low-cost childcare along with government cash benefits and flexible work policies. The impact Is huge with higher workforce participation and smaller gender wage gaps.

One ray of hope in America is Senator Elizabeth Warren’s Child Care for Every Community Act,

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is joining the fight, fully charged and ready to take on the midterms armed with Democratic Party messaging about lowering childcare costs.

Republicans are calling for larger American families, but have struggled to craft policies that make it easier for parents. Sound familiar? Another missing in action policy just like the healthcare alternative to Obamacare.

Conversely, Democrats head into a midterm elections cycle where they plan to highlight affordability issues along with childcare reform, both top concerns for voters.

With a little help from our politicians and the voting public, women may be able, to one day soon, have it all.