Pennsylvania Labor Study Reveals Job Growth for Men Significantly Exceeded that of Women 2007-2011
Pittsburgh, PA – A new IWPR PA Job Growth Study commissioned by the Women and Girls Foundation and conducted by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research examined household survey data from the Current Population Survey to reveal that between 2007 and 2011 women’s employment peaked later than men’s. Women’s employment also fell for a more sustained number of quarters and has recovered less of its pre recession level. While this is true nationally, it is a feature of the economic recovery that is magnified in Pennsylvania.
Click Here for PDF of the Full Study.
According to the briefing paper, Job Growth and Unemployment for Men and Women in Pennsylvania, 2007 to 2011:
- A new term is emerging since the end of the Great Recession and this applies well to Pennsylvania: ‘he-covery,’ in response to the fact that men have regained a larger share of the jobs lost than women, and that during 2011 men’s job growth has significantly outstripped job growth for women.
- Women have proportionately regained fewer jobs than women nationally, and no jobs at all during the last year, while men in Pennsylvania have recovered a much greater share of job losses than men nationally.
- All net job gain in Pennsylvania during 2011 was experienced by men.
“This report confirms what we most feared. Not only were women and their families devastated by the recession, they have suffered much more since stimulus funding ended,” says Heather Arnet, chief executive officer, Women and Girls Foundation. “We hope this report serves as a wake-up call to State Lawmakers to create economic development and workforce strategies that connect unemployed moms with family sustaining jobs.”
By the end of 2011, according to the report, women had only regained 12 percent of their total job losses compared with men who had regained 62 percent of their recession job losses. During the 12 months of 2011, all net job gains were experienced by men, while women saw net job losses.
“Cuts to government services are a double whammy for women and their families,” says Heidi Hartmann, Ph.D., president, Institute for Women’s Policy Research. “With these cuts, women lose jobs and the ability to support their families. On top of that, cuts in education, child care, and other supports threaten the long term ability of the economy to bounce back with a skilled and educated workforce.”
A copy of the full report, “Job Growth and Unemployment for Men and Women in Pennsylvania, 2007 to 2011” can be found online on the Women and Girls Foundation web site, www.wgfpa.org or on the Institute for Women’s Policy Research web site, www.iwpr.org.
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About Women and Girls Foundation
The Women and Girls Foundation of Southwest Pennsylvania (WGF) is an independent, community-based foundation serving Southwest Pennsylvania. Our vision is to create a region where women and girls have equal access, opportunity, and influence in all aspects of their public and private lives. To realize this vision, the organization’s active mission is to achieve gender equity by investing in public policy initiatives that will result in long-term systemic change impacting women and girls lives for generations to come.
Institute for Women’s Policy Research
The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) conducts rigorous research and disseminates its findings to address the needs of women, promote public dialogue, and strengthen families, communities, and societies. IWPR is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that also works in affiliation with the women’s studies, public policy, and public administration programs at The George Washington University.