News: Why are women better than men at dealing with redundancy? - The Guardian

In these unsettled economic times following the so-called 'credit crunch', it's likely that some firms will be laying people off. In this article in the Guardian (19 April 2008), Laura Marcus reviews a piece of research conducted a few years ago, which suggested that women are better than men at coping with redundancy.

Philip Hodson of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy is quoted in the piece: "It is a generalisation, and many women are breadwinners, but I do think more often than not a man's career is central to his identity. Men are more invested in work status - perks, cars, titles, privileges - so losing these things can be devastating."

Our work and personal identities are not conveniently separate entities even though they may feel like two different worlds. Redundancy and other 'life shock' events can throw us off course, leaving us feeling vulnerable and rudderless.

There's an old article on the BBC website called Coping With Redundancy, which may be worth a read.