Manufacturing Shows Growth - But Women Are Being Left Behind

This morning's Census data signal positive growth in manufacturing, but there's a hidden part of this story that new NWLC analysis of jobs data reveals: women are being left behind. 

The Census data show that new durable goods orders were up in February and that orders have increased five of the last six months. But women are not sharing in this manufacturing recovery: 

• Manufacturing added 517,000 net jobs from January 2010 to February 2013. Men gained 535,000 jobs, while women actually lost 18,000 jobs. 
• This trend is not a correction for men's recession losses — during the recession men and women both experienced manufacturing job losses proportionate to their share of the field. 
• Between January 2008 and February 2013, women's employment in manufacturing dropped by 18 percent compared to 11 percent for men's employment. 
• Nearly 90 percent of manufacturing's net growth since 2010 is concentrated in three durable goods areas: fabricated metal products, transportation equipment, and machinery — all areas that are fairly well-paid and all areas where men’s gains have outpaced women's.