I think it is much more of a US thing, because we tend to work more hours and define ourselves more by our profession (generally speaking) than the people of other countries. We should be talking to others about what we like TO DO, rather than what we do for a living all the time....with the layoffs and economy, it's a tough time for people who have been out of work.
I was telling people I was a "stay at home wife" for a little while...they were looking at me funny....i always try to diffuse the uncomfortable stupid questions with humor when I can...
When someone asks if you just got off of work, you can just say "no". I think we have a big tendency to overexplain -it's nobody's business whether we are working or not.