Although countless media outlets have reported on the “mancession” – a phrase coined after evidence suggested that the recession has disproportionately hurt men – women aren’t exactly soaring either.
A new study from Citi has shed light on what effects the recession has had on working women – namely mothers.
Via U.S. News and World Reports:
Over half of the 1,000-plus women surveyed reported working longer hours, while just one in four women without children and one in three men reported doing so. Meanwhile, working moms have also adjusted their spending more than other groups: Three in four said their habits are forever changed, compared to six in 10 women without children. In fact, more than half of women with children said they've put off buying a car or other big-ticket item and 52 percent said they've tapped into savings to make ends meet. One in three said they're headed back to school in order to ultimately improve their job prospects.
The study also found that seven in 10 women who earn more than $100,000 said they've cut back on daily expenses. Moreover, three in 10 women in that same demographic said they're worse off compared to a year ago.
And while women are increasingly becoming the primary breadwinners of their households, they’re still dealing with some traditional values – the kind that eats away at a paycheck (that’s still not as high as it should be).
MSNBC.com did a report detailing how women still assume the burden of child-care cost.
Nora Bredes, director of the Susan B. Anthony Center for Women’s Leadership, told the Web site: “Our belief as a society is that mothers are responsible for the care of children, not the couple. We give lip service on how it’s a family priority, but it really is all on her.”
That along with an increased workload has caused nearly half of working class women to want to put off childbearing or have fewer children according to a new study by the Guttmacher Institute, a private, nonprofit reproductive-health research organization.
In that study, which focused on women 18 to 34 making less than $75,000 a year, 64 percent of women agreed with the statement, “With the economy the way it is, I can’t afford to have a baby right now.”
And while the majority of the women said they’ve focused more on contraception because of the economy, they’ve found it increasingly difficult to afford it.
The survey found that nearly one in four women reported having put off a gynecological or birth-control visit in the past year, to save money.
So it seems regardless of how much you make if you’re a working mom you’re stressed about work and bills, and fearful of getting pregnant because it would spur even more work and bills.
I’ll be calling my mother and sister today to tell them I love them.
Are you a working woman? How has the recession affected you?
Leave your feedback below and send your own recession story to therecessiondiaries@gmail.com
Michael Arceneaux hails from Houston, lives in Harlem and praises Beyoncé’s name wherever he goes. Follow him on Twitter.