USA Today: Men More Likely to Be Laid Off than Women

A report from [The] USA Today:

It seems men are more likely to lose their jobs in the economic meltdown, a reversal from the usual anti-female bias in hiring and pay:

In the year since the recession began in December 2007, the jobless rate for men rose from 4.4% to 7.2%. At the same time, the jobless rate for women rose from 4.3% to 5.9%.

Given that women are more likely to work now than in prior downturns, dual-income households may be on better footing to withstand this recession, says Donna Ginther… [of the] University of Kansas.

Approximately 61% of women 20 and older were in the labor force in December, up from 37% 50 years ago. “It’s a kind of built-in insurance. If you lose one of two incomes and you are losing the highest income, it hurts, but it’s not as catastrophic as say, losing the only income in a household.” …

•The market for jobs typically held by women has been far better than those typically held by men.

•Women are more likely to work part time than men, perhaps making them less vulnerable.

“When employers are actively cutting hours for the workers they do keep, it could be that those already working part time have a bit more security … as they are not likely to be receiving benefits and in general, are likely to cost employers less than full-time workers,” he says.

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