Industry Insight: Survey says 30 percent of working moms at companies with layoffs

Percentage of working moms at companies that have had layoffs in the past 12 months who are working longer hours, according to a CareerBuilder's survey: 30

Percentage who have taken on second jobs in the last year to help make ends meet: 14

Percentage of these moms who reported that they are burned out: 34

Best faces forward

Percentage of U.S. women who believe that wearing makeup gives them an advantage at work and makes them feel more in control, according to the Beauty Barometer survey by L'Oreal: 50

Percentage of women surveyed who believe that wearing makeup makes them feel more self-confident: 82

Percentage who believe it improves their self-image: 86

Career couples

Percentage of Americans who believe there is no requirement for couples to earn similar amounts of money in order to be happy, according to research by smile.co.uk ("the Internet bank") from The Co-operative Bank: 54

Percentage who think it is unnecessary for couples to pursue similar careers to be happy together: 62

Alpha females on saving

Percentage of alpha females - defined as articulate, outspoken super-consumers who have a lot to say about marketing, life and the universe - who agree that making do with less across the board is now more of a priority, according to results from the 2009 Ginger's Alpha Panel Survey: 62

Percentage of alpha females who plan to have fewer nice dinners out: 65

Though alphas still plan to shop, percentage who are now "buying on sale": 60

Shopping for cars

When car shopping, percentage of women surveyed who negotiated the lease or purchase themselves, according a survey commissioned by Automall Network: 55

Percentage who felt they'd gotten the dealer's best price: 49

Percentage who felt they'd been treated unfairly as a female: 53

Percentage of all women surveyed who said they would prefer to use a professional service to conduct the negotiations, as they felt it would save them money: 81

Women vs. men: dating at work

Percentage of workers who have dated a co-worker at some time during their careers, with 18 percent admitting to doing it twice or more, according to CareerBuilder: 40

Percentage of male workers who currently work with someone they would like to date: 14

Percentage of women who said the same: 5

Percentage of Americans who admit they have dated someone with a higher position in their company, according to a survey by CareerBuilder.com: 34

Of those who have dated a higher-up in the last year, percentage of female workers who have dated their boss: 47

Percentage of males who have dated the boss: 38

Women vs. men: what we watch

Percentage of American workers who say talking about television at work increases office camaraderie, according to a Spherion survey: 40

According to women, ranks of "American Idol" (36 percent) and "Dancing With the Stars" (21 percent) as the two most discussed TV programs at work: 1, 2

According to men, ranks of "American Idol" (36 percent) and "Lost" (15 percent) as the two most discussed TV programs at work: 1, 2

More money needed?

Percentage more money that men need than women need to be happy, according to research from The Co-operative Bank: 27

Idle Thought

"The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes."

-Novelist Marcel Proust

[[In-content Ad]]John MacIntyre is a Nova Scotia-based author and former city magazine editor. His "Figuratively Speaking" column, launched in 1989, is published in more than 40 newspapers and magazines.