Should the male-dominated layoffs of the current recession continue — and Friday’s jobs report for
January may offer more insight — the debate will be (moot). A deep and (prolonged) recession,
therefore, may change not only (household budgets) and habits; it may also challenge longstanding
gender roles. In recessions, the percentage of families supported by women (tends to rise) slightly, and
it is expected to do so when this year’s numbers are (tallied). As of November, women held 49.1
percent of the nation’s jobs, according to nonfarm (payroll) data collected by the Bureau of Labor
(Statistics). By another measure, including farm workers and the self-employed, women (constituted)
47.1 percent of the work force.