Female unemployment is set to rise once again in Wednesday's mornings official figures, according to predictions from the IPPR.
The warnings comes as the think tank presses for the government to implement universal childcare, which they claim will pay for itself.
Last month the number of women out of work increased by 43,000 to 1.09 million - a 23-year-high.
IPPR analysis shows Britain's rate of female unemployment is 19th in OECD countries, behind other states with flexible childcare like Denmark and Sweden.
The think tank's director Nick Pearce said: "Women will return to work if we can re-start growth and give families access to free and high quality childcare.
"At a time of severe fiscal constraint, it is vital for Britain to focus resources where they will make the most difference – in helping families with the cost of living and strengthening the public finances over the long term.”
In response to the report, the Fawcett Society said government cuts to childcare were "turning back time" on women's equality.
Anna Bird, acting CEO of the group, said: "The link between the participation of women in the labour market and a stable and prosperous economy is crystal clear."
Cuts to childcare support and to public sector jobs - where women comprise as much as two-thirds of the workforce - are driving women out of work, Bird said.
"In our Life Raft for Women's Equality, the Fawcett Society is calling on the government to take urgent action help stop this roll-back now," she added.
"In the short term we are calling for an urgent reversal of the recent cut to childcare support. This must also be coupled with a wholesale review of policy on women's employment and childcare to ensure that it delivers the best possible outcomes both for women and for the economy at large."
The latest unemployment figures will be published at 9:30am on Wednesday morning.