Women Across the Board Dropping Jobs

A "GMA" workplace contributor answers some frequently asked questions about the congressional report's findings.

How big of a difference is this?

It's an enormous difference.

It erases more than 12 years of gains in terms of women joining the workforce. That translates into 4 million more women in their prime earning years who would normally be in the workforce now, but are not.

We've been hearing for the past few years that women were "opting out," choosing to stay home to raise their kids. But this new research shows that's simply not true. Women have dropped out for gender-neutral reasons: an economic downturn that brought layoffs, outsourcing and even pay cuts, which has made the decision to drop out a fairly straightforward one for many women. And it has nothing to do with motherhood.

Is there a pattern based on level of education, race or marital status?

No. This study finds that the trend is across the board for women: white collar/blue collar; single/married; black/white; with teens or with toddlers. Everyone is affected.

What effect does this have on the family?

It's not good at all. Women are no longer able to act as a financial safety net. Women typically bring home a third of their family's income, and of course single mothers are the sole breadwinners in their households. So this leaves those families very vulnerable.

And, in past recessions, when a woman was not working and her husband lost his job, she could go out and get a job to fill the gap. But that is no longer the case now that women are experiencing job losses as steeply as men.

What is the single most important thing to do for women who want to get back into the workforce?

Retraining. More than 1 million women have lost manufacturing jobs since 2001. These women found that jobs available to them paid less, so many of them said forget it. If they want to get back to work in a different field and at a higher wage, they need more education and new skills.