It’s a Woman Thing: Men Are in Recession, Women Apparently Not
At first glance, I thought women fairing better than men in the recession is because we are naturally more resourceful and flexible in our careers but I was wrong. It seems that the recession is hitting men harder because male dominated jobs such as construction and manufacturing are on the chopping blocks while women continue to do well in stable industries such as education, and health care.
This Yahoo article points out:
From last November through this April, American women aged 20 and up gained nearly 300,000 jobs, according to the household survey of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). At the same time, American men lost nearly 700,000 jobs. You might even say American men are in recession, and American women are not.
Manufacturing is over 70% male and construction is about 88% male. Meanwhile the growing education and health services sector is 77% female. The government sector, which has remained strong, is 57% female. The securities business, which is filled with high-paying jobs, is likely to be the next sector to get whacked — and more than 60% of its workers are men.
Interesting.
While I’m happy we’re doing well in the recession, many of us are married, attached or related to the men in these articles so this isn’t by any means good news for us. We’re feeling the pinch in areas such as rising gas prices, clothing, groceries while taking are of the home. But, there’s still some good news for us, women are graduating from college at rates higher than men and we fair better because we tend to be in positions where we use our “sensitivity, intuition, and a willingness to collaborate” which is only to our benefit. Men on the other hand tend do better in “the hierarchies, following orders and relying on positional power,” says Andy Hines, a futurist at the Washington (D.C.) consulting firm Social Technologies.
However, while women continue to make gains in increasing salaries, there is still a gap in this area. So while we are landing more jobs than men, we aren’t necessarily being paid better than men. Before you berate me in the comments, I seek equally for the sexes, not female domination, although that would be nice 
The article also points out differences in how men and women handle job loss which make it harder for men to get back on track once given the pink slip. As the article notes, to go from a $20-$30/hour union job to working at Walmart can be a huge blow to the ego. I can certainly understand this as men tend to value themselves based on their salaries and ability to “bring home the bacon”.
Read more:
- Taking a Toll: The Effects of Recession On Women
- Women More Realistic than Men over Effects of Recession
- Men Are in Recession, Women Apparently Not - Housing Tracker
- New Report: Recession Taking A Toll On Women
- Slumping economy: It’s a guy thing
- Recession By Gender
What say you? Does this ring true for any of you? Women, are you experiencing any fears of job loss? Men, do you find that you or your male counterparts are losing more jobs? How are you faring in these hard economic times?
About the Author: Girls Just Wanna Have Funds is for the woman that wants to take charge of her personal finances. We value budgeting, investing, frugality and remain mindful of our spending habits. Move over and make way for women who are in control of their financial destinies and not afraid to say it. We're armed with a positive net worth and not afraid to flaunt it while breaking financial ceilings one stiletto at a time!
Lindsay (1 comments.) | May 15, 2008 | Reply
It’s much more defined than “not necessarily being paid better than men.” For every dollar a white male makes, white females make 77 cents, African-American women make 62 cents and Latina women make 53 cents. Also, the Supreme Court ruled that women have 180 days after their first paycheck to find out about pay discrimination, otherwise they can’t sue.
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Linda F (1 comments.) | May 26, 2008 | Reply
Girls, I don’t agree women make less than men. Men are more likely to work the overtime, women are more likely to have part-time jobs. Those stats are comparing apples and bowling balls.
Women often make a trade-off - less money, more security. Or, less money, but benefits.
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Ginger | May 26, 2008 | Reply
I disagree. You seem to be leaving out the MANY single women and working mothers who have all of that worked out. WOmen are working overtime to pay the bills as single moms, women are working often times the same hours as men and getting paid less.
There are women at the top who get paid for the same work who have no kids or hubby OR they have kids and their home situations worked out.
There are quite a few of them who work as K street attorneys here in DC.