More than 400,000 women left the U.S. workforce in the first half of 2025, according to a University of Kansas analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
For six years, Mackenzie Bruegge worked in medical billing. But with two young children at home, the West Branch, Iowa, mother says the math just didn't add up.
"The average day care we found was about $500 a week, and I made maybe $1,000 every two w... [2030 chars]