It's the economy, part 2

According to the New York Times and Boston Globe the economic downturn has hit men far harder than women.

As Layoffs Surge, Women May Pass Men in Job Force

Women are poised to surpass men on the nation’s payrolls, taking the majority for the first time in American history.

The proportion of women who are working has changed very little since the recession started. But a full 82 percent of the job losses have befallen men, who are heavily represented in distressed industries like manufacturing and construction.

According to the Boston Globe, over the past year, "1,069,000 fewer men are working than a year ago. 12,000 more women are working." (http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/12/05/losing_jobs_in_unequal_numbers/)


I first heard of the New York Times article while flipping through cable news channels last week. Campbell Brown on MSNBC was discussing it, though she focused on negatives about unemployed men.

Unemployed men’s child care duties are virtually identical to those of their working counterparts, and they instead spend more time sleeping, watching TV and looking for a job, along with other domestic activities.

Many of the unemployed men interviewed say they have tried to help out with cooking, veterinarian appointments and other chores, but they have not had time to do more because job-hunting consumes their days.

Campbell Brown - ever the feminist - focused in one the previous comment in the article and trashed men for "spend more time sleeping and watching TV".

And Campbell is not alone in not being sympathetic to the plight of unemployed men.

Democrats Say Stimulus Slights Women

Members of a Montana Democratic women's caucus called on President Obama, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and other fellow Democrats Tuesday to direct stimulus money to industries that employ women. They say the current focus on "shovel-ready" projects, such as building improvements, favors what are traditionally male-dominated industries.

The Montana Democratic women said this in late January even though according to an analysis of Obama's stimulus plan, 49% of the jobs created by his plan would go to women even though 82% of the job losses were experienced by men. Welcome to the new economy.