The way we talk about jobs data these days can have a kind of “bad news is good news” dynamic. For instance, slowing job growth and rising unemployment last month being a positive sign for fighting inflation. But there were also some unequivocally good data points in the August jobs report, especially for women.

The share of women in the labor force continues to grow, even faster than participation for men.

And the gap between them was the narrowest it’s ever been in August, said Lauren Bauer at the Brookings Institution.

“Women with young children are participating at much higher rates now than they were before the pandemic hit,” she said.

Bauer said flexible and remote work have helped some moms.

But another key support is falling away, said Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner with the non-profit MomsRising.

“There’s a child care cliff happening in September,” she said.

This month, billions of dollars in pandemic relief funds for child care are expiring.