BUSINESS WEEK: The Slow Disappearance of the American Working Man. “The portion of men who work and their median wages have been eroding since the early 1970s. . . . The portion of men holding a job—any job, full- or part-time—fell to 63.5 percent in July—hovering stubbornly near the low point of 63.3 percent it reached in December 2009. These are the lowest numbers in statistics going back to 1948. Among the critical category of prime working-age men between 25 and 54, only 81.2 percent held jobs, a barely noticeable improvement from its low point last year—and still well below the depths of the 1982-83 recession, when employment among prime-age men never dropped below 85 percent. To put those numbers in perspective, consider that in 1969, 95 percent of men in their prime working years had a job. Men who do have jobs are getting paid less.”

UPDATE: Reader Dave Schipani writes: “You know, Glenn, between this and the eroding numbers of men in college, we must be part of the most incompetent patriarchy in history. I don’t know about you, but I’m writing an angry letter of complaint to my chapter president.” Heh.

Related: The Hill: GOP senator: White House ‘failed miserably’ on economy. Ya think?