INDIANAPOLIS - American women are getting squeezed the hardest in the slow economic recovery.
The jobless headlines come home to Diana Calkins' home.
"I've looked and looked and looked, hundreds of jobs and I've gotten nothing," said Calkins.
She lost her job in computers 14 months ago. Her husband, David, lost his about the same time. They lost their health insurance, too. Then David suffered a heart attack, which he is still bouncing back from.
"We go from a thriving family that's contributing, to the worst case scenario, you know, we're taking. It's sad. It's humiliating, even," Calkins said.
Her female friends haven't been able to find work, either. Now, Diana's learned men are getting jobs back much faster than women. Since 2009, men have gained back three-quarters of a million jobs. Women actually lost a quarter-million.
As strange as it may sound, it's got a lot to do with parts of the economy that are looking well.
"The manufacturing sector has started to improve somewhat and, of course, that is somewhat male-dominated," said Butler University business professor Dr. Bill Rieber.
Rieber points to the 6,000 new jobs in manufacturing last month, like automotive. But other jobs are shrinking.
"Close to a quarter-million jobs have been lost in the government sector in the past year," he said.
Those layoffs in teaching and service jobs are heavy in female workers. Calkins blames sexism.
"I have had one male employer tell me that I did not get a raise or a promotion because the other person was a man and had a family to support," she said.
That is illegal. But Rieber says some women may be passed over because they split time between their job and home. Still, he says, "There are more women than men in college."
With growth in health care jobs, women may get the upper hand in the job market. Aspiring nurse Rachel White sees the future as "bright, very bright."
Women are still generally paid less than men for the same work, but a Pew Research Center jobs study says that still isn't helping them find jobs any faster.
