Men in the Recession: From the Constructions Site to the Sales Counter

Let’s get the serious news out of the way first: Men who got unemployed during the recent recession have better chances to get jobs than women. Since 2009, men got 80% of the jobs created and during the last year alone they landed 61% of all the jobs created.

One explanation has to do with the way people became unemployed: in the beginning of the recession, the primary sectors that were hit hardest were construction and manufacturing – women tended to become unemployed later, in a second wave that hit the public sector. So whoever lost their job first, gets it back first – that’s how the economy recovers.

However, unemployed men do not simply go back to their old professions: a second reason why men are getting the bigger share of available jobs is due to the fact that they enter so-called “women’s jobs” such as retail – even though they usually have to take a pay cut and get less benefits. Men now hold 51% of all retail positions in the US – a number that clearly shows that job searchers cannot be picky anymore and any job is better than no job.

It’s unclear why men get more jobs than women, but it seems that they – due to possibly longer and more desperate unemployment phases – have started to look for makeshift careers in unexpected industries. Another reason that researchers speculate about is possible gender discrimination: men might get favored and taken more seriously because they seem to need (or deserve) employment more than women.

This Year’s Emmys: Funny Women Are the New Black

After the Emmy nominees were announced on Thursday, it seems apropos to nickname the show “The Emmas” this year. The list of nominees clearly suggests that it has been a fabulous year for TV actresses, especially in comedy.

Women on TV are not just pretty sidekicks, perfect wives and sexy mistresses anymore: New shows such as New Girl, Veep, and Girls successfully portray smart, nerdy, quirky, and neurotic women in the most likeable way. They are characters every woman can identify with; they have flaws we all know too well and it’s refreshing to see “real” women with all their ups and downs – and not just because they missed a sale or have PMS. Watching women on the verge of a nervous breakdown has never been more entertaining, and it’s encouraging to see that The Academy of Television Arts and Science recognizes that change.

One nominee who particularly stands out as a triple threat this year is Lena Dunham who got nominated for her writing, acting and directing for her show “Girls”. I guess that gives us one more reason to hate her. (Or love her.)

This year’s Emmy Awards will be broadcasted on September 23, so there’s still plenty of time to catch up on any episodes you might have missed.

A (Brain) Matter of Points

So, as it turns out, women actually tend to have higher IQs than men.

Now before we replace the thinking caps with party hats: The average for women is only one IQ point higher than the average for men. However, what’s more important is the fact that the average IQ is rising– but women’s IQs are increasing faster than men’s, according to a study by IQ researcher James Flynn.

A reason for this increase is the complex and modern world we live in: our brains have to constantly adapt, multitask, and process new inputs, which increases our IQs. The smarter our environment (or gadgets), the smarter we become and vice versa.

So why are women’s IQs climbing faster than men’s, exactly? Nowadays, women are more educated, intellectually stimulated and professionally active than ever before and our IQs reflect all of these advancements. It’s important to add that IQs also measure academically acquired skills- more women pursue higher education and our brains are more used to thinking in ways that are beneficial for high IQ test scores.

However, IQs are just numbers– and they’re never an adequate and sole representation of someone’s intellectual abilities. There are many more factors that ultimately lead to success and happiness – many of them have more to do with nurture and not nature. Motivation, creativity, and persistence for example all play crucial parts in our achievements or failures.

I suggest however, we put on our party hats anyway– one point seems like perfect reason to celebrate!