By Robert Lewis, Anikim.com

As the recession drags on and layoffs surge, men now outnumber women on the unemployment line, according to the latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The national unemployment rate among males is 8.1 percent; for women, 6.7 percent. Males account for over 80 percent of job losses since the recession began.

The reasons for the shift are clear. Men represent the majority of workers in construction and manufacturing—industries that have been hit hard in the past few months. Conversely, women make up three-quarters of health care and education sectors, which expanded nearly 3 percent in 2008.

Women are also more likely than men to work part-time, enjoying built-in job security: part-time employees work fewer hours, typically don’t receive health care or unemployment benefits and are generally less expensive to employ than full-time workers.

But while women may be gaining ground in the labor force, they remain a distant second when it comes to protecting their loved ones with life insurance coverage.

Studies show that approximately one-third of women have no life insurance policy, and two-thirds of insured women from two-income households feel the life insurance coverage they do carry is inadequate.

The problem? Even as some women serve as the primary breadwinner, most women feel they don’t need coverage. Instead, they rely on the male’s insurance policy, failing to realize the family could be devastated should her income be lost.

A report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics outlines the role of women in most families’ financial pictures. “Today, the traditional family model of husband as breadwinner and wife as homemaker holds only for a very small proportion of couples,” said Mahshid Jalilvand, a professor of economics for the University of Wisconsin, in the report. “Dual-earner families are a major and growing segment of the labor force.” Most two-income households, even with one part-time spouse, rely on both incomes to make ends meet.

But it’s not just working women who need life insurance. Stay-at-home moms prepare meals, perform household duties and care for children—a tremendously valuable family contribution. The cost of childcare alone is a reason for homemakers to invest in life insurance. According to the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies, the average American family pays more than $500 a month in childcare costs for a single child—a total of over $6,000 annually. If that service were lost, it could prove crippling for a single parent’s finances.

Sadly, one of Corey Schneider’s clients learned the importance of carrying life insurance for his stay-at-home wife the hard way.

“Last year, touched by the economic downturn and trying to cut expenses, one of our clients asked about canceling his wife’s life insurance policy,” explained Schneider, representative for Sentinel Financial Solutions in New York. “After re-explaining the benefits and the issues associated with losing insurability, we persuaded the client to maintain the insurance.”

It’s fortunate they did. Before long, the husband was laid off, and household finances became strained. The wife, who had suspended a career in law to care for their young children, 10 and 12, considered returning to work to support the family. But it never happened.

Unexpectedly, the wife contracted Pneumonia. A young and vibrant woman, every indication was that she would make a full recovery. But from the outset, the prognosis was not positive; despite the doctors’ efforts, she grew weaker as time wore on.

Before long, the family’s worst fears were realized: the wife passed away, leaving behind her recently laid-off husband and two young children. The husband, still trying to cope with the sudden loss of his wife, now had the task of raising two young children on his own while looking for work in a slowing economy.

Thankfully, the tragedy had a silver lining: the wife’s life insurance policy kept the family’s finances protected, allowing the children to live a secure life. Schneider added: “Now, due to proper planning, the father is able to stay home and raise his children, put them through college and maintain their standard of living."

“Even after 15 years in the insurance business, we’re always touched by what life insurance is able to do at a family's worst time.”

Premiums for the most affordable form of life insurance, term life, have reached all-time lows. Term life insurance pays if the insured dies during the “term” of the policy, which is chosen by the consumer and ranges from one to 30 years.

According to data from the Insurance Information Institute, a non-smoking 40-year-old female with a $500,000, 20-year term life insurance policy can expect to pay between $25 and $50 per month for coverage—a small price to pay to secure a family’s economic future.

When dealing in dollars and cents, gender is irrelevant. Male or female, full-time employee or stay-at-home parent, if someone relies on you financially, life insurance has to receive strong consideration.