On top of the fact that the Great Recession was tougher on men than women in terms of job loss, the recovery is trending towards new work opportunities that have far higher rates of female employment.

 

The “Mancession” caused more men than women to lose their jobs, resulting in the current unemployment rates of 10.6% for males and 8.9% for females. This was largely due to cyclical industries, like male-dominated manufacturing, being hit harder by the downturn in the economy.

 

Unfortunately for men, the country has been bleeding manufacturing jobs for some time, thanks to the off-shoring of industries. The sectors to be in for the future are health and education, but women hold more than 75% of these jobs. Furthermore, the two occupations projected to grow most rapidly between now and 2018—registered nurses and home health aides – are typically filled by women, writes Nancy Folbre in The New York Times.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

The Declining Demand for Men (by Nancy Folbre, New York Times)

Gap Between Male and Female Unemployment Reaches Record Level (by Noel Brinkerhoff and David Wallechinsky, AllGov)