The opening paragraph of this article is a stunning victory for anecdote in its long war against data. Reading this, you are left with an impression exactly opp

The opening paragraph of this article is a stunning victory for anecdote in its long war against data. Reading this, you are left with an impression exactly opposite reality: "Since Kerry Devine, 32, and her friends began having children, she has noticed a stark difference between her female friends in Auburn, Wash., where she lives, and those in England and Cyprus, where she grew up. In the United States, they almost all stopped working outside the home, at least until their children were in school. Yet, she says, she can’t think of a friend in Europe who left work after her children were born." First of all, let's remember that men are also leaving the workforce, and the decline of men in the workforce is a much older trend than women leaving the workforce: https://familyinequality.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/wlfp1.jpg https://familyinequality.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/wlfp1.j... As to Europe, please see here: http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.CACT.FE.ZS http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.CACT.FE.ZS Let's start with overall female participation rates in the workforce: France: 51% Germany: 54% United Kingdom: 56% USA:57% By this measure, the USA rate seems a little elevated, but not dramatically so. Europe is catching up, but has not yet caught up: http://www.thefinancialist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/female-europe-participation2.jpg http://www.thefinancialist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/fe... A few Scandinavian countries exceed the USA rate, but most of Europe lags behind: https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/images/women/General/Women_in_Australia/2009/fig3_1.gif https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/images/women/Gene... But what about mothers with kids? There the reality is the opposite of the one suggested by the quoted paragraph. Women with kids are more likely to work in the USA than in Europe. Look at the high rates of women with kids in the USA in this graph: http://www1.eeoc.gov/eeoc/meetings/archive/4-17-07/boushey.html http://www1.eeoc.gov/eeoc/meetings/archive/4-17-07/boushey.h... It is true the peak of the trend was many years ago, but the numbers are still high. The USA has a very high level of single moms, much more so than in Europe, and most of these women need to work, so the number of women with kids working will probably remain elevated in the USA. Figure 1 shows that in Germany the rate remains below the USA level until the children are 10 years old: http://www.public.asu.edu/~abick/bick_childcare.pdf http://www.public.asu.edu/~abick/bick_childcare.pdf This is the pattern in most of Europe: as children get older, the percent of mothers who work approaches USA rates, but if we talk about mothers of young children, the USA has the highest participation rates in the world. Again, this is driven by single moms, and the lack of welfare benefits in the USA, compared to the richer social safety nets in Europe. This article offers some insights about the USA: http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2012/us-working-mothers-with-children.aspx http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2012/us-working-mot... "In recent years, more mothers of young children have entered the paid labor force. While the share of mothers with children under age 6 in the labor force has risen sharply, the rate for all working-age adults has remained relatively flat. The recent economic recession, the steady decline in men's real earnings, the growth in single-mother families, and the increase in women's educational levels are some of the factors likely contributing to the growth in the proportion of mothers of young children in the workforce." Also here, scroll way down to the graphs: http://www.frdb.org/upload/file/paper_delboca.pdf http://www.frdb.org/upload/file/paper_delboca.pdf Again, you can see that the Scandinavian countries are ahead of the USA with both fertility and women working, thanks to more supportive policies for women, but most European countries are behind the USA rates.