Higher childcare costs impact single  4 Katherine Lim and Mike Zabek, “Women's Labor Force Exits during COVID-19: Differences by Motherhood, Race, and Ethnicity,” Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2021-067 (Washington: Washington: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 2021). https://doi.org/10.17016/FEDS.2021.067. and lower-income mothers disproportionately.
Therefore, I see a risk that lack of childcare availability will continue to hold women back from participating in the labor force, which could be a drag on the economy. The final factor to consider is retirements. Many older workers who left the labor force are unlikely to return, and more of those workers were women.