Women are close to outnumbering men in the workplace these days. In June 2009, women held 49.83 percent of the country’s 132 million jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and their numbers are growing in the few sectors of the economy that are expanding.

In health care, for example, women have accounted for 79 percent of jobs gained (4.52 million), whereas men represent just 1.18 million new jobs; in government, women hold 94 percent of jobs created (1.76 million), and men account for 12,000 new jobs.