The quiet economic shift has arrived: women are now holding more payroll jobs than men in the United States. This isn’t a fleeting blip, as seen during past economic downturns like the Great Recession and the lead-up to COVID-19, which saw temporary reversals. Instead, this change appears to be structurally ingrained, signalling a more permanent transformation in the Australian labour market.
Laura Ullrich, a former regional economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, has conducted an analysis through Indeed’s Hiring Lab, suggesting that this isn’t a recessionary driven phenomenon. “It definitely doesn’t, to me, seem like the change has been driven by a recessionary period, which is what typically drives it,” she stated. “This seems to be more of a long-term decline that’s led to more of a permanent shift going forward, or at least semi-permanent.”
The Numbers Behind the Gender Gap Shift
The historical data paints a clear picture of this evolving landscape. In the early 1990s, men held a significant advantage, with nearly 7 million more jobs than women. Over the subsequent three decades, this gap steadily narrowed and has now been entirely eliminated.
This trend has accelerated in recent times. Ullrich’s analysis of Federal Reserve labour force participation rate data reveals a striking pattern over the past year:
- Jobs held by men have seen a net decrease of 142,000.
- Women have gained a substantial 298,000 jobs.
Furthermore, of the 1.2 million jobs added to the economy between February 2024 and February 2026, an impressive two-thirds were secured by women.
The narrowing gender gap extends to labour force participation rates as well. Since tracking began in 1948, the male participation rate has fallen by nearly 20 percentage points, from 86.7% to the current 67.2%. Conversely, the female participation rate has seen a significant jump, rising from 32% to 57.2% over the same period.
It’s Not Just Women Entering, It’s Men Exiting
The narrative behind these shifts is more nuanced than a simple influx of women into the workforce. While both male and female participation rates are lower today than in 2000, the decline among men is far more pronounced. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the male labour force participation rate stood at 69.2%. It has since dropped to 67.2%, a two-point decrease. In contrast, the female participation rate has declined by a mere 0.6 percentage points during the same timeframe.
“It’s fewer men entering,” Ullrich observed. “Younger men today are less likely to be working than their fathers were at that same age.”
Who’s Supporting Whom?
This trend raises questions about economic support structures. There’s a noticeable transition where parents are supporting their adult children for extended periods. Data indicates that more young adult men are living with their parents compared to women. This phenomenon is partly attributed to wealth transfers from older to younger generations.
Beyond familial support, partners are also playing a significant role. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many individuals know a woman supporting an unemployed man, a dynamic that, while not new, now carries less societal stigma. The “stay-at-home boyfriend,” once a subject of humour, is now a recognised labour market phenomenon.
The Digital Age and Its Impact on Male Employment
A significant study, initially circulated by the National Bureau of Economic Research and published in the Journal of Political Economy, delved into the reasons behind young men’s reduced work hours. It found that approximately 70% of these unworked hours are dedicated to video games and recreational computer use. The researchers calculated that advancements in gaming technology alone, since 2004, can account for nearly half of the increase in leisure time for young men.
“I think that’s part of the story – the basement story,” Ullrich remarked, referencing the common image of young men engrossed in video games in their parents’ basements.
Compounding these factors is the opioid epidemic, which has disproportionately affected non-college-educated men. Moreover, men, unlike women, often do not qualify for government assistance programs like SNAP or TANF without a documented disability. This means that when they exit the workforce, the financial responsibility frequently falls on their closest support network.
Sectoral Shifts: Where the Jobs Are and Aren’t
The types of jobs being created and those that are stagnating or declining offer critical insights. The healthcare and social assistance sector, which is overwhelmingly female-dominated (78.9%), has been a significant engine of job growth. Between July 2023 and July 2025, this sector added 1.8 million jobs, representing over half of all job creation in the United States during that period.
Conversely, sectors historically dominated by men, such as manufacturing, technology, financial activities, and media, have experienced stagnation or contraction.
A Female-Dominated Pipeline
A key reason for this divergence lies in the existing skill sets and educational pathways. Women are increasingly equipped with the training for the jobs that are currently in demand. As of 2023, women constituted 87% of nursing bachelor’s students. In speech-language pathology, a lucrative profession, a remarkable 96.4% of master’s students are female. Medical schools have also seen a majority of female students since 2019.
“Women are the ones who have the training for these jobs,” Ullrich emphasised. “The growth that’s happening in the economy in terms of jobs is happening in female-dominated sectors.”
The educational pipeline is predominantly female, the growth sectors are female, and the jobs least vulnerable to AI displacement – such as caregiving, healthcare, and in-person services – are also disproportionately held by women. In contrast, jobs most exposed to AI automation are largely occupied by men.
Furthermore, as women advance in the workforce and climb the corporate ladder, they tend to create new job opportunities for other women, particularly in areas like childcare, pet care, and in-home services.
What This Means for the Future
Economist Richard Reeves, a scholar at Brookings and author of Of Boys and Men, argues that a concerted effort is needed to steer men towards fields like healthcare, education, and psychology, mirroring the successful initiatives that encouraged women’s entry into STEM.
However, there is currently little evidence of such a shift occurring. Educational programs feeding the growth sectors are, if anything, becoming even more female-centric.
As Ullrich aptly puts it, the trend in the labour force participation gap shows no signs of a post-recessionary recovery, no cyclical correction, and no historical precedent for a reversal. It appears to be a one-way trajectory.
“If you look at that overall downward trend,” she concluded, “it’s just been on a downward trajectory.”
The “stay-at-home boyfriend” is no longer a mere social media trend; he is a quantifiable economic reality reflected in Federal Reserve data. And the woman increasingly footing the bill is, in many ways, becoming representative of the evolving American economy.
