Women lag men in labor market during recovery
Women have lost ground to men in the labor market following the 2008-2009 recession, according to a recently published Pew Research Center report. Since the end of the recession in June 2009, men have gained 768,000 jobs while women have lost 218,000 jobs. It marks the first time since the 1960s that men have outgained women in the labor market subsequent to an economic contraction.
The Pew study found that trends in the unemployment rate are in line with changes in employment levels. During the recession, the unemployment rate for men increased sharply, from 5.1% in December 2007 to 10.6% in June 2009. This compares to an increase from 4.9% to 8.3% for women during the same time period.
“It is not entirely clear why men are doing better than women in the current recovery,” the report said.
According to analysts, part of the disparity is attributable to job rebound rates of particular sectors that are traditional havens for men or women. The manufacturing sector, an area dominated by men, has seen growth, and the overall government sector, where women are the majority, has experienced ongoing contraction since 2009.
During the recovery, employment trends have favored men over women in all but one of 16 major sectors of the economy. State government is the one notable exception, where women have gained jobs while men have lost them.
Jobs lost during the recession also factor into the equation. Men lost a total of 5.4 million jobs and women shed 2.1 million positions, creating a bigger pool of men seeking work.
Unemployment rates during the recession transcended race and ethnicity. Hispanic, African-American and Asian men experienced higher unemployment increases than minority women during the recession and uniformly rebounded during the recovery. Among women during the recovery, the unemployment rate for Caucasian women decreased while it increased for Hispanic, African-American and Asian women.
The unemployment rate is currently 9.5% for men and 8.5% for women.
Female employment unevenly affected by recession, Pew report finds (http://www.job.com/career-advice/employment-news/female-employment-unevenly-affected-by-recession-pew-report-finds-.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=career_news). Job.com, July 11, 2011
Two years of economic recovery: women lose jobs, men find them (http://pewsocialtrends.org/2011/07/06/two-years-of-economic-recovery-women-lose-jobs-men-find-them/). Pew Research Center, July 6, 2011