Managers are reminding many of their staff that they are lucky to have a job in the current economic crisis. And in many cases that is translating into a hidden demand to work longer hours, sometimes for less money. In some cases work-life balance could be seriously deteriorating, particularly in those sectors hit hardest by the economic downturn. But whether the recession is impacting men and women equally is an interesting question. Evidence suggests that in some economies 80% of layoffs have involved men because they tend to be over-represented in some of the most impacted industries including finance, manufacturing and construction. The health sector, a huge employer of women is relatively unaffected. Many women are now becoming the main income earners but that is leading to increased incidences of stress and further work-life balance deterioration. But interestingly is the fact that in recovery periods after previous recessions women tend to have filled around 55% of the jobs created. Some interesting trends may be emerging.