Women's Workforce Equality Comes at a Price

At long last, women hold more than 49% of American jobs in this country, and 50% is in reach. But hold the confetti, writes Ellen Goodman of the Boston Globe. It's happening "because men are losing their jobs even faster than women." Last year, men took home eight of every 10 pink slips, jacking their unemployment rate to 7.6%, compared to 6.2% for women.

"This dubious equality is in large part an ongoing tale of two economies,” Goodman observes: Women make the recession-resistant healthcare and education sectors run—at 78 cents on the dollar compared to men, who dominate in construction and manufacturing. Research shows the female halves of two-earner couples still do much of the housework. Now, Goodman writes, "marriages are also facing an infrastructure change."