BellaOnline Forums Career Unemployment Women & Unemployment

Hi Bella Family:

Do you think "unemployment" affects women differently than men?

LOL, before turning 53 and still basically "unemployed" since being laid off for the 3rd time in 2008, I think maybe in the past it did impact us differently. But with today's ever increasing need for 2 incomes, a lot of women no longer have the option of not working and staying home with the kids - or just to stay home for whatever reason.

What are your thoughts on this?

Unemployment affects women differently for sure. On one hand, if they are married, they tend to have a safety net if their husbands are employed. If they go through periods of unemployment while raising kids, employers excuse their inactivity assuming they were tending to a family. Males don't have that option.

If women are unemployed for long periods of time, people assume the job market must be tough. If a man is unemployed for long periods of time, people think "What's wrong with this guy?"

I think that unemployment is harder on men. That may not seem true if a woman is the sole bread winner for her family, a single mother for example. But even then, it seems that the government is quicker to hand out assistance (food and housing) to a single mother than a single father.

Correct me if I'm wrong because I'm only assuming.

Hi Lori:

What I am hearing today is that a lot of women are having to choose between taking time off to have a baby versus no job when they are ready to come back to work.

I thought there were laws in place to protect women during "maternity leave"....

What is going on?

No! This insanity that it is always worst for women is just that, insane! The only places where it is true it is where women do not have rights which is where feminists should put their energy!