From increased sales of steamy romance novels to booming health and fitness sectors, lines of work where women tend to dominate are taking the lead in the current economic climate.

The Weekly Standard’s Christopher Caldwell in Time Magazine this week goes so far to say that of the economic climate faster than men, in The Pink Recovery: Why Women are Doing Better. He notes that fewer women have been laid off than men overall, and that when the nation does recover, the workforce could look different as a result:

“What constitutes “women’s work” today? Well, health care, for one; 81% of the workers are female. According to the report Obama cited, 20,000 health-care jobs were gained in July, while 76,000 construction jobs and 52,000 manufacturing positions were lost.”

But are women seeing more opportunity in other areas as well? BusinessWeek recently reported that women may be nearing a majority in the workforce for the first time in history.

Success stories like this piece on a woman boss at a trucking company in the UK from PRI’s The World seem to indicate that despite job losses and a tough economic climate, women are seeing a chance to take the lead. This story uses Hillary Clinton’s recent tour through Africa as a jumping off point to discuss how the role of women has changed in recent years:

“Are women managers different than male ones, with a different approach to problems? It is said that women are more outcome-orientated while men confront. If that’s true, how should a woman leader behave in a traditionally male environment — like a trucking company?”

Forward-thinking companies are helping women get ahead by using technology to create a better work-life balance. Back in June, BBC Washington correspondent Katty Kay, co-author of Womenomics, spoke with Tavis Smiley about how these ‘soft’ types of changes will help companies be more successful in the long run.