Unemployment for women remains at the highest point in years

http://www.laborradio.org/node/11792

Lede: Job loss is slowing down sharply, but unemployment for women who maintain families is the highest in years. Doug Cunningham reports.

By Doug Cunningham

Women supporting families are suffering the highest unemployment since 1982, according to the Center for Economic and Policy Research. Today there are 80 percent more women maintaining households than there were in 1982, so many more people are being affected now. While economists note that job loss is slowing and are beginning to conclude that the recession is ending, working families are still feeling enormous pain. In July nearly a quarter-million jobs were lost. More than 330,000 jobs were lost in the past three months, but that’s down sharply from the 700,000 lost between November and February. Older workers are actually bucking these job loss trends. Workers over 65 are increasing employment even in the midst of the massive jobs losses generally. In July workers over 65 increased by 11,000. And the Center for Economic and Policy Research says since November of 2007 employment for workers over 55 has increased even as the economy lost seven and half million jobs.