Media outfits such as The Washington Post and Forbes are shocked that mothers are leaving the workforce in record numbers.

According to WaPo economics correspondent Abha Bhattarai, “The share of working mothers ages 25 to 44 with young children has fallen nearly every month this year, dropping by nearly 3 percentage points between January and June, to the lowest level in more than three years, according to an analysis of federal data by Misty Heggeness, a professor at the University of Kansas and former principal economist at the Census Bureau.”

When the parenting platform Motherly asked women why, here is what it found:

• 54% say childcare is barely or not at all affordable.
  
• 39% cite childcare costs as one of their top two financial burdens, second only to overall financial uncertainty.
  
• 50% of Millennial and 52% of Gen Z moms have considered leaving their jobs because the stress and cost of childcare outweigh earnings.

However, Bhattarai’s analysis is that if mothers choose not to go back to work, it’s for one of four reasons: 1.) The patriarchy is making being a mother who works full time impossible. 2.) Mothers are acquiescing to the MAGA “trad wife” propaganda. 3.) Some of these mothers are women of color who lost their jobs because of racism or because their DEI positions got slashed. 4.) Similar to what Motherly found, there is a lack of social security in the form of caregiving available for mothers.

Bhattarai also warns that if you step away from work, your chances of returning and picking up where you left off are slim to none. In other words, you’re perilously stepping away from financial benefits. She also cautions that women will take a hit in terms of social standing should they degrade themselves and become stay-at-home moms.

In all fairness to Bhattarai, she did end her article with a quote from a mother who absolutely loves being at home with her children. “My decision to leave my corporate role had nothing to do with politics or a movement telling women to stay home,” this mother said. “It had everything to do with what success looks like for me right now. I’ve worked relentlessly since I was young, and now I choose to give my best energy to my kids while they’re little. For moms choosing to leave the workforce for this same reason, it’s not weakness or submission — it’s power.”

However, most people may not read to the end of the piece and would miss this perspective altogether.

Forbes, meanwhile, laments that the drop in mothers in the workforce means we can’t unlock the full potential of the economy. For example, healthcare and childcare, which have traditionally been dominated by female workers, are areas where job losses are being keenly felt.

Alternatively, the economy — like it always does — will adjust and shift to accommodate.

The legacy media are doing their level best to scare, intimidate, or guilt-trip women back to work. But more and more, women are discovering they can reduce their household income while still enjoying a more satisfying life, all while rejecting the push to become a worker drone in a soulless corporation.

Feminism has failed women in general and mothers in particular. It promises them that joining the workforce will make them happy. Moreover, by “becoming equal with men,” it’s also ostensibly in their own self-interest.

Instead, what has feminism really wrought?

• Women are putting off having families until the age at which they become less fertile or pregnancy is harder.
• Many families are financially struggling because they are forced to send their children to daycare or hire a nanny.
• Parents are increasingly deprived of watching their kids grow up, nurturing them, and truly getting to know and love them.

Women are finally realizing that feminism was all a lie. They don’t have all the time in the world to start their families, as the fertility window starts drastically closing after age 35. Women who wait until their 40s find that they have trouble conceiving, and many turn to IVF — a practice with its own set of dilemmas.

Staying at home and being a mother is a sacrifice, but the trade-offs are exponential. One contributor for Business Insider shared that she has more control over her life and her time; that she doesn’t have to answer to anyone and can focus on her interests; that she is healthier not being stuck behind a desk; and, more importantly, that she feels like she’s doing what she was made to do by taking care of her family.

In today’s era, especially, there are, of course, many families who need two incomes in order to make ends meet. Some families have managed to find the perfect balance between child-rearing and both parents working. But for those mothers who are needlessly being coerced into prioritizing a career because of social pressure, leaving the workforce is freedom. Leftists should be ashamed of themselves for demeaning not just motherhood but women who choose to stay at home and raise their families. It is the most important work a woman can do.