Women Workers Decreasing

Another economy-related article, this one pointing out that, for the first time since the mid-1900s, the percentage of women employed in the workforce has decreased from the beginning of an economic expansion to its end. Initially, people (read: economists) thought this was due to womens' shift in priorities from the 70s to today, but they feel otherwise now:

After moving into virtually every occupation, women are being afflicted on a large scale by the same troubles as men: downturns, layoffs, outsourcing, stagnant wages or the discouraging prospect of an outright pay cut. And they are responding as men have, by dropping out or disappearing for awhile.

So, while the increasing economic troubles may have a silver lining in shifts in coca production or innovation in energy production/consumption trends, there is a significant social cost to all that silver lining.

[via NYT]