Catherwood LibraryILR School

With evidence mounting that the country is far from even a jobless economic recovery (see WIT's for October 18 and May 17, 2002), recent data show the increasing importance of the contribution of working women to the economies of families, and the nation as a whole. While women in the 1950's, 60's and 70's experienced higher unemployment rates than men in periods of economic recession and growth alike, in the current recession and the two prior to it, women have experienced lower joblessness levels than men. This trend is due to the higher concentration of women in service sector jobs where employent levels tend to hold steady or even rise during economic downturns---as opposed to manufacturing sector jobs which are dominated by men and tend to dissappear when the economy heads south---and may have major implications for household employment decisions.