This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Dealing with a punch-drunk job market is difficult for everyone — but especially for women.
So economist Lecia Parks Langston and some of her associates inside and out of the state Department of Workforce Services have put together a 40-page career-planning guide tailored to females.
"Because women tend to be the main caretakers of the home and children, they need a little extra help when they go out into the workplace," said Langston, who spearheaded the project to produce the guide, a supplement to a Utah Careers publication released earlier this year to help Utahns in general to navigate a troubled job market.
"We wanted to hit everything we thought was relevant for women who are looking for employment, who need help balancing their lives with all of the different demands, who need the pay they deserve or who are looking to plan their retirements," she added.
Women comprise about 44 percent of Utah's work force, she noted, and the number is rising. Almost 62 percent of all women older than 16 are in the labor market, surpassing the national average.
In addition, Langston noted, the current recession has hit industries that typically hire men harder than those in which women have clustered. She believes that has helped Utah weather the recession better than many states.
"Even though the recession has been deep and pretty hard, a lot of families have had a little buffer because they do have two spouses employed. If one loses a job, they still have one person working," Langston said.
"If you look back 50 years, that wasn't the case."
Still, many women are entering the work force for the first time in years. So several articles help job seekers determine what types of positions suit their personalities.
Sometimes that might involve looking at jobs women traditionally have not done, Langston and co-author Carrie Mayne said — and for a good reason.
"It's the wages, ladies," they wrote. "Women on average make less than men, and much of that difference can be explained by the occupational choices we make.
"Every so often, someone calls our office and asks what are the best jobs for women. Well, the best jobs are the best jobs. Women have the choice to work wherever they choose. They should choose the jobs that benefit themselves and their families," Langston and Mayne said.
For women returning to the work force after a long absence, Fran Cannard offers almost a dozen tips, from searching for openings to filing applications to dressing appropriately for interviews to thinking positively.
"Despite what might seem to be insurmountable odds," she cheered, "you can do it."
The guide is packed with pages of facts about women in Utah, the state's labor force, education and wages. Many articles are accompanied by boxes containing information — mostly website addresses — of other resources, such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or the Institute for Women's Policy Research.
And there are how-to articles addressing mistakes women make marketing themselves, overcoming domestic violence, understanding the Family and Medical Leave Act and preparing for retirement.
Working women
Most women who work are married.
A higher percentage of Utah women work outside the home than nationally.
Young women today can expect to spend more than 30 years in the workplace.
Summit, Grand, Salt Lake and Davis counties have Utah's highest female labor force participation
Piute, Rich, San Juan and Washington counties have the lowest.
Utah women worked an average of 33 hours per week in 2008; men worked 41 hours.
Source: Utah Careers Supplement for Women —
To see it
O The free Utah Careers Supplement for Women may be viewed online at jobs.utah.gov or obtained by calling 801-526-9785.