Using data from the 1980, 1990, and 2000 U.S. Census, I find little support for the opt-out
revolution – highly educated women, relative to their less educated counterparts, are exiting
the labor force to care for their families at higher rates today than in earlier time periods – if
one focuses solely on the decision to work a positive number of hours irrespective of marital
status or race. If one, however, focuses on both the decision to work a positive number of
hours as well as the decision to adjust annual hours of work (conditional on working), I find
some evidence of the opt-out revolution, particularly among white college educated married
women in male dominated occupations.