In 1988, women's labor force participation in the US and Canada was nearly identical — both around 72%.

Line chart comparing women's labor force participation rate ages 25-54 in the United States (salmon) and Canada (dark navy) from 1988 to 2026. Both start near 72% in 1988. Canada rises steadily to 85% while the US stalls after 2000. Annotations show the gap widened to 8.0 percentage points by 2018 and has since narrowed to 6.6 pp as the US reached a record 78.5%.

Then the paths split. Canada kept climbing. The US peaked around 2000 and stalled for two decades. By 2018, the gap had widened to 8 percentage points. But look at the salmon line recently — US women's participation has surged to a record 78.5%, narrowing the gap to 6.6 pp.