In 2008, Senator Edward Kennedy examined the effect of economic troubles on women, their families, their jobs, and everything else that’s at stake during this difficult downturn. He and his committee wanted to shed light on gender and discrimination; topics which Senator Kennedy says have been unfairly ignored, while bailouts and indictments have stolen the show.
According to his analysis, one of the most noticeable differences between men and women during these hard times is fear. More women than men are said to be very worried about the economy, especially since women, on average, are paid only 77 cents per their male counterpart’s dollar.
And, this worry is understandable, considering how much harder women have to work just to survive in an economy where the standards have been set by men for generations. Though women are compensated only about 80% as much as men, they can’t just ask for a 20% discount on everything. (But wouldn’t that be nice?)
Mothers feel the hurt even deeper, as they worry for not just themselves, but the well-being of their children during the worst crisis of its kind in years. With many women still managing the “second shift”, the stress and press for resources doesn’t stop at the workplace.
The New York Times’ brighter side of the story is that when it comes to job loss, women have less to worry about. The fastest falling jobs are those in construction, other manual labor jobs, and manufacturing. Since these are dominated by men—whereas women tend to tackle caregiving, children’s education, and other domestic realms—females may experience more job security (if only slightly more) as the recession rolls on.