These charts from Mark Perry illustrate that the male unemployment rate has risen substantially relative to the female unemployment rate during this downturn. Indeed, the gap is now at an unprecedented level. I would conjecture that a large part of the explanation is the sectoral mix of this particular downturn in economic activity, including a significant slump in residential construction.

Via Greg Mankiw’s Blog

Greg is a professor of economics at Harvard University, where he teaches introductory economics (ec 10) among other courses. Greg uses his blog to keep in touch with his current and former students. Teachers and students at other schools, as well as others interested in economic issues, are welcome to use this resource.