In many parts of the world, the economic downturn is being described as a "mancession", because more males than females have lost their jobs. Bermuda, it seems, is no exception. The Bermuda Government announced last week that the unemployment rate is three percent among women, but six percent among men.

In the US, what's been happening on the gender front is having a levelling effect on the proportion of men and women employed. The most recent numbers from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics' Current Employment Statistics survey show that 49.9 percent of establishment payroll jobs are held by women.

About three-quarters of job losers in the US during the downturn have been men. Layoffs hit industries and jobs dominated by men (construction and manufacturing) harder than those dominated by women (education and health care).

Even so, according to the labour bureau's Current Population Survey, there still are about seven million more employed men than women. That's because the population survey is a household survey. As such, it captures farm workers and other self-employed individuals who aren't included in the establishment payroll survey.

But even the household survey undercounts men; it excludes the military. Whichever statistical series you put more weight on, though, it's still obvious that women's presence in the workplace is a given — but far from a domination.

Ÿ Women, largely because of biology (they bear the children) still work less over their lifetimes than men.

Ÿ Women, because of their preponderance in "pink collar" jobs, still earn less than men.

Ÿ Women, because they work fewer years and at lower-paying jobs, have fewer savings and less income in retirement.

Ÿ Women continue to be largely unrepresented in the top business power structure. The Catalyst organisation reports that only 15.4 percent of Fortune 500 corporate officers are women; only 14.8 percent of Fortune 500 board seats are held by women; and only 6.7 percent of Fortune 500 top executive earners are women.

Ÿ Women, who now head 40 percent of US households, are more likely (with their children) to live in poverty.