SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) Economists are predicting, for the first time in American history, working women will soon out number working men.
It's a trend that's been decades in the making, but is now speeding up with the slumping economy.
A Utah economist confirms research done in an article from the New York Times.
The article claims 82 percent of recent job cuts lately are coming to men, and that's leaving more women at work.
“It is certainly the case that job loss in this recession has been more male than female,” said Scott Schafer, Utah Economist.
The reason why the layoffs are so lopsided is a lot of the job cuts aren't out of the office. They're more in manufacturing and construction. Typically more men work in those industries.
Women typically hold more jobs that are less sensitive to economic ups and downs, like health care and education.
So with fewer men at work, the gender gap at the office is closing quickly.
Depending on which data you look at, as of November, women hold 49.1 percent of the nation’s jobs. That excludes farm jobs. If you include farm workers and the self-employed, women make up 47.1 percent of the work force.
If the current trend continues, for the first time in the United Sates more women will be working than men.
