For the third time in history, women outnumber men in the workforce as the stay-at-home boyfriend becomes an economic trend

Women outnumbered men in the U.S. workforce for the third time in history as of early 2026, driven by a structural decline in male labor participation and a rise in female workforce growth. The Federal Reserve and analysis from Indeed’s Hiring Lab highlight this shift as semi-permanent, with men’s labor force participation dropping 20 points since 1948 and women gaining two-thirds of all jobs added between February 2024 and 2026.