In recession, don't forget women's struggle

• Source: Global Times
• [23:59 October 18 2009]
• Comments

By Tian Wei

Statistics coming out of one think tank after another are showing that there are more men than women losing jobs in this recession.

From reading these numbers, one could easily develop the impression that women are the winners, if there are any, in this round of financial crisis.

While appreciating this well-intended wishful thinking about improved women's role in our society today, we should look at some real facts before reaching any conclusions.

First, more men losing jobs is nothing new when you look at the history of past recessions.

Men lost jobs at higher rates mainly because more men work in hard-hit industries, such as manufacturing, banking and construction. Many women, meanwhile, work in education and healthcare, which have been more recession-proof.

Meanwhile, a number of women have been staying at home, or working part time, but they have to go back to work when their husbands or partners get laid off. That is a reality not out of choice, but out of necessity.

Plus even if women in the world outnumbered men on the payrolls, all facts and numbers point to the reality that globally, women are still likely to work fewer hours overall than men, earning lower pay and fewer benefits. Women are more likely to be in part-time jobs without health insurance or unemployment insurance.

All of the above once again call for the necessity of further incentives even at the time of financial crisis to improve women's role in the workplace today.

In fact, there is probably no better time to do it than now when policies are streamlined and reformed, visions changed.