Reanalyzing the gender-specific effects of the Great Recession

The impact of the Great Recession of 2008 on labor markets varied across/within countries depending on the economic structure, institutions, and in terms of who was hit the hardest. The observation that men fared worse than women, in terms of job losses, has led to labeling of the Great Recession as a “man-cession†. This chapter argues that such a label is not only simplistic but also misleading. First, there has been significant heterogeneity in within-group experiences; women from different demographics shared variegated burdens. Second, the second-round effects of the crisis also need to be taken into account. Although men’s employment took the immediate hit from the crisis, second-round effects influenced women’s employment equally or in some cases – Spain, Italy and Greece – more. The chapter also argues that gender regimes represented, in part, by the nature of family policies and cultural factors can play a significant role in explaining gender impacts of crises.