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A Slowed Economy? Maybe for You Guys
The number of women in the workforce is increasing, while the number of men is declining. Possible reasons include the viability of some gender-specific industries, increasing job qualifications of women and the continuing influx of women into the workforce, particularly into part-time jobs.
Perhaps men and women are not equals -- at least when it comes to the current economic downturn. And women seem to be winning this latest battle of the sexes. In April, nearly 700,000 less American men had jobs than in November of last year, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. During the same time period, the number of working women increased -- by 300,000. The number of men over the age of 20 with jobs has fallen from 72.9 percent in November to 72.2 percent in April, according to the BLS. The female ratio rose during that same time period, from 58.1 percent to 58.3 percent. Possible reasons for the disparity differ. The differences could be driven by the industries in which the men and women work. For example, there are large numbers of men working in declining sectors, such as manufacturing and construction, while women make up a high percentage of employees in growing sectors, such as healthcare and education. Christa Shapiro, the San Diego regional vice president at Switzerland-based Adecco, says the construction industry has significantly contributed to the decline in jobs for men. "There are typically more males working in construction," she says, "and the biggest job losses have been in construction." In healthcare, said Shapiro, "there is a lot of job growth. Look at hospital job boards," she said. "Healthcare is pretty recession proof." The disparity could also be driven by differences in qualifications or increases in gender equity in the workforce. Michal Ann Strahilevitz, associate professor of marketing at Golden Gate University in San Francisco, says that the numbers are not surprising considering that women are graduating at the top of their high school or college classes and are increasingly going on to graduate school. "There are now even more females than males in medical school. ... We are seeing increases in females in M.B.A. programs and in law schools," says Strahilevitz. "All this ends up being reflected in hireability, particularly for white-collar jobs." At the same time, Jim Lanzalotto, vice president of strategy and marketing at Yoh, a Philadelphia-based talent and outsourcing firm, says that "it's a function of women moving up in the workforce and becoming better educated, more experienced, and getting better opportunities." He also said that companies are looking for more diversity. "They want more women in more leadership roles," he says. "It's not because it's the right thing to do but because it benefits the business." Another reason for the disparity may be that women are getting part-time or flexible jobs that may be emerging to replace jobs previously filled full-time by men, says Elaine Varelas, managing partner of business development at the Boston-based career-management firm Keystone Partners. Or, she says, women may be taking on part-time jobs to give their families a boost in income because their husbands have lost their jobs. "They may be the wives of laid-off men who are finding it easier to get into the work force on a part-time basis while the husband conducts a job search," says Varelas. Shapiro agrees, saying that "as unemployment goes up, the need for part-time workers does go up." But what happens if the economy improves? The trend of female job growth, says Lanzalotto, will continue, and may even accelerate. For HR leaders, he suggests promoting gender indifference to find the best person for the job. "For a lot of companies, having a diverse workforce is not just an HR imperative, it's a business imperative," he says. "For forward-thinking HR folks, it's thinking beyond fundamental demographic data and just getting a diverse approach to doing business and having a unique prospective that all people bring you."
May 21, 2008 Copyright 2008© LRP Publications |
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