June 10, 2005 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Labor force participation of mothers and fathers

The labor force participation rate for mothers with children under 18 was 70.4 percent in 2004, down by 0.7 percentage point from the prior year.

The labor force participation rate for mothers with children under 18 has been declining since 2000. 

[Chart data—TXT]

In 2004, most of the over-the-year decline in the labor force participation rate of mothers with children under 18 occurred among mothers with children under 6; their rate declined by 1.0 percentage point to 61.8 percent. 

The participation rate of mothers whose youngest child was 6 through 17 declined slightly. 

In contrast, the labor force participation rate of fathers showed no change in 2004, whatever the age of their youngest child.

These data are from the Current Population Survey program. To learn more about employment and unemployment in families, see Employment Characteristics of Families in 2004 (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 05-876. The labor force participation rate is the labor force as a percent of the population. The labor force comprises all persons classified as employed or unemployed.