Economists have long predicted that eventually more women than men would be employed in the US. That day may come soon.

That's not, alas, because women are landing more jobs in this recession. The employment rate for US women hasn't grown. The reason is that, in more than eight out of 10 layoffs, it's men who are getting the boot. That's because the steepest downturns have been in male-heavy sectors like construction.

The New York Times article on this phenomenon speculates that the pattern may further alter gender roles, forcing men to spend more time caregiving--not just with kids but also their aging grandparents.

Or not. The article also reports that one (unemployed) man and his (employed) wife still argue about who should walk the dog.