Over 50, Female and Jobless, Even as Others Return to Work

Editors Note: Patricia Cohen, New York Times Writer, chronicles the downward spiral of women job hunters in the last decade from findings revealed in a new study on long-term unemployment from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Ten years ago, less than 25% of the unemployed women remained out of work for more than 6 months.

From 2012-2013, the unemployed women comprised 50% of the long-term unemployment rate. Ms. Cohen details the plight of Chettie Mcafee who was laid off from her job after 30 years. She is still looking for a job.

...“I’ve been applying and applying and applying,” said McAfee, who has relied on her savings and family to get by as she fights off attempts to foreclose on her home. At interviews, she said, “They ask, ‘Why has it been so long?’”

At 5 percent, the jobless rate may be close to what economists consider full employment, but that headline figure doesn’t capture the challenges still facing millions of Americans who have yet to regain their footing in the workplace....

McAfee is part of a group that has found the post-recession landscape particularly difficult to navigate: women over 50.

Read more here: NYT: Women Over 50

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