For mothers of younger children, too, there has been a shortage of daycare facilities. Because they lost so much revenue during the pandemic many of them had to close. And those that remained open are experiencing staffing shortages. According to a survey by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, 80 percent were having trouble finding workers.

Of course, this problem is a bit of a chicken and egg situation. Women are dropping out of the workforce because other women who take care of their children are dropping out of the workforce.

But there are other reasons too. Women’s employment — just like men’s — was hardly encouraged by federal and state governments dropping money into their laps, either in the form of COVID relief, child tax credits or guarantees that they could not be evicted from their homes even if they didn’t pay their rent. Many upper- and middle-class Americans were able to sock away some money during the pandemic, thanks to these programs but also thanks to the fact there wasn’t much to spend money on during 2020 — no vacations or sporting events or other forms of entertainment.

While economists predict that savings is going to start to run out soon, the question of whether all those women will come rushing back to the labor force remains an open one. In survey after survey, even highly educated women — particularly those with young families — say they prefer part-time work.