Some counter that the hours gap would shrink if employers offered more family-friendly policies, such as flexible hours and easier on-off ramps for moving in and out of the workforce.
Since taking office in February, he has riled the United States by being friendly to Cuba's Fidel Castro, and by banning overflights by American military aircraft seeking to counter drug-traffickers.
But while Apple slashed prices for several iPod models in September, analysts worry that Apple will have to cut margins further still to counter everything from cheap, new laptops offered by the likes of Dell to new media-friendly, touch-screen handsets being readied by Nokia.