More women are leaving the workforce, pushed out by a lack of child care support and stricter return-to-office policies, per a new KPMG analysis.

Why it matters: The exodus translates to less income and financial stability for households, as well as fewer career growth opportunities for women.

• There's fallout for the overall economy, too: Businesses lose productive and experienced workers, and growth slows.

Where it stands: The departures started after pandemic-era supports for child care lapsed in 2023.

• The exodus appears to be accelerating as the job market weakens and federal job cuts and policy moves take a disproportionate toll on working women.

By the numbers: College-educated mothers with very young children are seeing the biggest declines.

• The percentage of these women in the labor force fell to 77% in August 2025, from a high near 80% in 2023, according to KPMG's analysis of Census Bureau data.
• The next group to see drops: women without a bachelor's degree with young kids, whose labor force participation declined by about 1 percentage point.
• Fathers, both with and without a bachelor's degree, with very young kids had slight increases in labor force participation over the same period.

Reality check: Labor force participation for women is still higher than pre-pandemic levels, though the trajectory is down.

How it works: When child care is too pricey or unavailable, mothers typically leave paying jobs to stay home.

• That's become even more likely now, as companies increasingly ask employees to work in the office, even on hybrid schedules.

Small businesses will be critical for holding on to women in the workforce, says Sadie Funk, national director of the Fort Worth-based organization Best Place for Working Parents.

The big picture: After a few years of progress, working women are moving backward.

• The gender pay gap is back to where it was in 2017, moms are underrepresented in Congress and reproductive rights remain in limbo.

What they're doing: Funk says many small businesses are leaning into the opportunity to be "responsive employers" and retain more of their workers.

Case in point: The Varghese Summersett law firm in Fort Worth converted one of its office spaces into nursery for babies and playroom for older children.

• Austin's Kerbey Lane Cafe offers free take-home meals for employees' families twice a week, Funk says.
• Some companies delay their start time on the first day of school.

The bottom line: "It's absolutely critical for our economy to keep women in the workforce," Funk says.

• "And if you are not open to remote work, that's okay. There are other ways you can lean in and support your employees."

Today is the last day to register to vote in Texas ahead of November's statewide constitutional election.

Why it matters: Texans have the chance to vote on statewide propositions covering issues including property tax cuts, prohibiting the Legislature from establishing inheritance taxes and creating statewide research funds.

• Some school districts and municipalities are holding bond elections.

What you can do: Check your voter registration status at VoteTexas.gov.

• Update your name or address with the secretary of state if needed.

Key dates: Early voting is Oct. 20-31.

• Oct. 24 is the last day to apply to vote by mail.
• Election Day is Nov. 4.

Zoom in: Registering to vote requires printing the paperwork and going to the post office.

• Call your county's voter registration office if you have any questions or need help registering.
• Or check your county's websites: Collin County, Dallas County, Denton County, Rockwall County and Tarrant County.

🚨 A college student was fatally shot Friday night while working at a Fort Worth gas station. The suspect was arrested. (Star-Telegram)

🎡 The State Fair of Texas has its first vegan-exclusive booth this year, ran by twin brothers. (NBC5)

⚖️ Current and retired sheriff's department employees are suing Dallas County in federal court over overtime pay. (DMN)

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The Fort Worth Zoo has a pretty little baby, and you can help name her.

Why it matters: Asian elephants are considered an endangered species that are threatened by habitat loss and poaching.

• The Fort Worth Zoo's elephants span four generations. Matriarch Rasha, 54, is one of few great-grandmother Asian elephants in North America, per the zoo.

The latest: The calf was born Aug. 18 at 36 inches tall and 250 pounds.

• After bonding privately with her mom and herd, the public can now see her in the zoo's Elephant Springs area.

Fun fact: Female Asian elephants typically weigh 6,000-8,000 pounds.

The intrigue: The zoo has a tradition of giving the elephants born on its grounds a Texas-themed name.

• The calf's mother, Bluebonnet, was the first elephant born at the zoo, in 1998. The calf's brother, Brazos, is almost 4 years old.

What's next: Choices for the newest calf are "Birdie" after Lady Bird Johnson, "Susie" after black-eyed Susan wildflowers and "Rosie" after the Yellow Rose of Texas.

• Vote by 10am today. The zoo will announce the name tomorrow.