Author Archives: Aychen Halim

Posts by Aychen Halim

Public Health Problems and Solutions

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Aychen Halim

One health problem that New York City faces is the lack of healthy food options available in poor, inner-city neighborhoods. As of 2009, an estimated 750,000 New Yorkers lived in food deserts, or areas where it is difficult to obtain fresh, affordable, raw produce within walking distance (“Fresh Food for Urban Deserts”). This inaccessibility has caused the rates of diabetes and obesity to soar in New York. According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, between 2002 and 2004, the rates of obesity and diabetes both increased by 17% in the city, whereas the rest of the country only saw a 6% increase during the same two-year period (Scaperotti). Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the city’s former health commissioner, cited the lack of access to affordable, healthy food in some New York City neighborhoods as a cause of the steep increase in obesity and diabetes (Scaperotti). Although residents of wealthier neighborhoods also contributed to the rising numbers, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene states that the highest rates were found among racial minorities and residents of low-income neighborhoods (Scaperotti).

Because neighborhoods that are deemed food deserts are more populated with bodegas/delis than supermarkets and farmer’s markets, a possible solution to this problem would be to have supermarkets and farmer’s markets sell their unsold, still edible, slightly-past-the-expiration-date produce to bodegas at discount rates so that these products are more readily and cheaply available to residents of such neighborhoods. A lot of produce that isn’t sold by its expiration date is thrown out by markets, even though in many cases that produce is still perfectly edible. Instead of throwing it out and losing money, food markets can make money off of technically expired but still edible goods while providing food deserts with the nutritional resources they lack.

Another health problem that will continue to become increasingly prevalent in New York City is the shortage of primary care physicians. The US Department of Health and Human Resources found that the demand for primary care services will increase throughout the nation through 2020 for two key reasons: an aging and growing population and an expansion of health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act (“Projecting the Supple and Demand”). The aging and growth of the nation’s population is especially important because the Department of Health and Human Services predicts that 81% of the increase in demand for primary care will result from this factor (“Projecting the Supply and Demand”). New York City’s population is expected to increase a total of 13.9% between 2000 and 2030 and the number of city’s residents who are 65 and over is expected to increase by 44.2% over the same time period (“New York City Population Projections”). Therefore, the nationwide increase in demand for primary care and the resulting shortage of primary care physicians will affect New York City as well. This means that the number of patients per physician will increase, causing longer wait times between appointments, less personalized care for patients, and overworked doctors who will be more prone to making mistakes.

In addition to creating an increased demand for and shortage of primary care physicians, the aging of New York City’s population will also cause other public health issues. As the city’s baby boomers approach old age, life expectancy increases, and fertility rates decline, the number of elderly people in need of caregivers will outpace the number of people who can provide care for these aging city residents (“New York City Population Projections”). This means that the city will have to assume responsibility for providing care to elderly residents without family members or those whose families are financially incapable or unwilling to care for them. This will likely entail an increase in senior residence facilities, Medicaid, visiting nurse services, food stamps, etc., which will be financially taxing for the city.

 

Works Cited

“Fresh Food for Urban Deserts.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 20 Mar. 2009. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.

New York City Population Projections by Age/Sex & Borough 2000-2030 (Briefing Booklet) (n.d.): n. pag. New York City Department of Planning, Dec. 2006. Web. 28 Apr. 2015. <http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/census/projections_briefing_booklet.pdf>.

“Projecting the Supply and Demand for Primary Care Practitioners Through 2020.” Projecting the Supply and Demand for Primary Care Practitioners Through 2020. N.p., Nov. 2013. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.

Scaperotti, Jessica, Sara Markt, and Celina De Leon. “OBESITY AND DIABETES RISING FASTER IN NYC THAN NATIONALLY.” NYC.gov. The City of New York, 26 Mar. 2008. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.

Gender Lens on Economic Growth Solutions

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Aychen Halim

A pressing issue today is that women perform the majority of unpaid care-related labor, and in doing so, end up working more than men but earning less over their lifetime. As a result, female senior citizens in the US are twice as likely to live in poverty as their male counterparts (Fidel). This problem can be tackled by increasing male participation in unpaid care-related labor, so that these tasks can be distributed more evenly among the genders. This way, women in the US will bear less of the economic burden associated with this type of labor. One way to get men to participate more in care-related labor is to encourage men to take paternity leave. Mothers take much longer parental leaves than fathers, some even having to permanently or temporarily exit the workforce or shift from full- to part-time. Women suffer because of this with a four percent decrease in earnings per child (Traister). If men began sharing the responsibility of parental leave with women, mothers would take less time off. For many women who receive none or very little paid leave, this would mean a shorter unpaid absence from work, and a smaller loss in earnings. Additionally, if men and women contributed more equally to parental leave, fewer employers would discriminate against hiring women of childbearing age. Although eighty-nine percent of fathers took time off after having a baby, nearly sixty-seven percent took less than a week off (Miller). Many new parents feel that it is much more appropriate for a mother to take a longer period of time off after having a baby, even at the expense of her career, than for a father to do so.

One way to encourage fathers to share parental leave more equally with mothers is by running a PSA-style ad campaign on the subway. The subway already runs similar ads, sponsored by the city, that encourage fathers to take a more active role in child-rearing (“10 Ways to be a Great Dad”). With the city’s cooperation, the paternity leave ads can become an extension of the existing ads. The message of the ads should focus on encouraging fathers to split parental leave more equally with the mothers of their children. Because paternity leave suffers from being perceived as unmasculine, the ads should use language that emphasizes that fathers who look after their children by taking paternity leave are strong.

Another gender-related economic problem is that women are underrepresented in leadership positions in the workforce. To combat this, my group and I will propose an initiative to create a mentorship organization between successful female faculty and alumni from City College and current female students from the College and on-campus high schools. This will not only provide young women who are about to start their careers with knowledge about how to become successful, but will also create a network that will help these women advance in their careers. This last point is especially important because as we discussed in class, although women tend to have larger social networks than men, men’s networks are of higher quality, which helps them to advance in their careers. We hope that building relationships with successful women who can provide them with valuable references when seeking jobs, recommend them for job openings, etc., will help young women achieve the same quality of networks that men have and hopefully advance their careers.

 

Works Cited

“10 Ways to Be a Great Dad.” NYC.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

Fidel, Emma. “Women Live Retirement in Poverty at Higher Rates Than Men.” Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 25 July 2012. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.

Miller, Claire Cain. “Paternity Leave: The Rewards and the Remaining Stigma.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 08 Nov. 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

Traister, Rebecca. “Why Women Can’t Break Free from the Parent Trap.” New Republic. N.p., 03 Feb. 2015. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

Kim Wales Questions

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Aychen Halim

1. Do you think that the advent of crowd funding will enable more women to assume leadership roles?

2. Do you believe that women need to possess stereotypically male characteristics in order to rise through the ranks in business?

 

 

New Women New Yorkers Questions

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Aychen Halim

1. How has NMNY’s mission evolved since its inception? Have you discovered that the services that these women need matched those that you anticipated when you first founded the organization? Were there any surprises as to what immigrant women really needed?

2. How does NMNY decide on which services are vital to the betterment of immigrant women in New York? How do you develop your services so that women of all different backgrounds can benefit from them?

Gender and Economic Growth Problems

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Aychen Halim

One problem associated with gender and economic growth is that women perform the majority of unpaid care-related labor in most parts of the world. This type of labor includes childcare, care for the elderly, disabled, or ill, as well as tending the household. Magdalena Sepulveda, a UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty, stated in 2013 that when unpaid care work is taken into consideration, women in developed and developing nations work longer than men but receive less compensation and recognition for their work (“Women’s Unpaid”). This lack of compensation has shown to be problematic for women’s economic well-being. The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that women above 65 are twice as likely to live in poverty as men in the same age range (Fidel). One of the causes of this that the study highlighted was the fact that women often leave the workforce, both temporarily and permanently, to take care of family members (Fidel).

Another problem associated with gender and economic growth is the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions. In January of this year, women made up 5.2% of CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, 5.4% of CEOs of Fortune 1000 companies, and, in 2013, 16.9% of board members of Fortune 500 companies (“Chapter 1: Women in Leadership”). Additionally, only 104 of the 541 members of the nation’s current Congress (just over 19%) are female (“Chapter 1: Women in Leadership”). This is problematic for several reasons. First, it means that women are vastly excluded from the high monetary earnings that often accompany top positions. Second, the decisions made by those in leadership positions often have enormous consequences, and the absence of women in such positions means that the perspectives and interests of women are underrepresented in these decisions. Third, women’s involvement social activity correlates with decreased corruption in government and business (“Second MENA Knowledge for Development Forum”). Fourth, the shortage of female leaders perpetuates negative stereotypes of women as being less capable, intelligent, etc. than men.

A third problem related to gender and economic growth is that legislative action, which is arguably the most fast-acting and effective solution for the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions, can actually perpetuate the inequality of women in top positions. Earlier this month, Germany passed a law requiring 30% of board members of corporations to be female (Smale). While this may be an effective measure for increasing female representation, it may have unintended consequences. To understand this, we can examine the analogous case of affirmative action policy in the United States. A well-documented problem associated with affirmative action is referred to as “mismatch”. Mismatch occurs when, in order to meet diversity quotas, a school admits a student who is academically underprepared for that institution (Sander). In these situations, the student often falls far behind his or her classmates, experiences lowered self-confidence, and is more likely to drop out (Sander). Furthermore, that student’s well-prepared classmates, upon seeing their peer struggling, are more likely to buy into negative stereotypes regarding the intelligence and work ethic of minorities. “S/he only got in because s/he’s black, Hispanic, etc.” is a phrase that is commonly tossed around among college students. Policy changes such as the new law in Germany will certainly increase the number of women in leadership positions, but may lead to many of the same problems associated with affirmative action. If companies start appointing women to their boards merely to fill quotas rather than because they are qualified, those women may become overwhelmed by their relative inexperience compared to their male colleagues, which will likely cause them to become less vocal members of their boards. Furthermore, upon seeing that their female colleagues are underqualified, the male of the boards will cease to view these women as their equals in terms of competency and instead adopt the viewpoint that “she only got the job because she’s a woman.”

Thus, legislation, one of the most powerful tools against this type of inequality, may actually be ineffective, making the problem much more difficult to solve.

 

Works Cited

“Chapter 1: Women in Leadership.” Pew Research Centers Social Demographic Trends Project RSS. Pew Research Center, 14 Jan. 2015. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.

Fidel, Emma. “Women Live Retirement in Poverty at Higher Rates Than Men.” Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 25 July 2012. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.

Sander, Richard, and Stuart Taylor, Jr. “The Painful Truth About Affirmative Action.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 02 Oct. 2012. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.

“Second MENA Knowledge for Development Forum: Gender Equality and Economic Development.” Knowledge for Development. The World Bank Group, 16 Mar. 2004. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.

Smale, Alison, and Claire Cain Miller. “Germany Sets Gender Quota in Boardrooms.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 Mar. 2015. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.

“Women’s Unpaid Work in the Home Is a ‘major Human Rights Issue,’ Says UN Expert.” UN News Center. UN, 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.

Future of Work Solutions

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Aychen Halim

As internships have become a must for inexperienced college students hoping to build their resumes, interns are increasingly exploited by the companies that are supposed to be helping them better themselves. One way to combat this, as Claudia mentioned in her comment to my original post, is to ensure that interns are fully aware of their rights. According to the Department of Labor, in order for an unpaid internship to be legal, it must meet the following criteria:

  1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment;
  2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern;
  3. The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff;
  4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded;
  5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship; and
  6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship (“US Department of Labor”).

To ensure that interns are fully aware of these laws, I propose that universities should educate students about the rights of interns during freshman orientation. During our freshman orientation for Macaulay, I recall receiving a lot of information regarding the importance of interning while in college, how to become a desirable internship candidate, etc., but no information about how to determine whether an internship is valuable and worth the investment (in terms of skills, experience, and connections gained, etc.), how to tell if you are being exploited as an intern, or how to report exploitation.

The benefits of teaching this to all incoming college freshman will be two-fold. First, doing so will emphasize the severity of the issue of exploitation to soon-to-be interns, many of whom have grown up in a culture in which the illegal assignment of menial tasks to unpaid workers has not only become accepted but even expected (interns running coffee errands has become a regular trope in television and film) (“Disposable Intern”). Armed with the knowledge that internships don’t have to be this way (that, in fact, they legally shouldn’t be), at least some college students will become more selective when scouting for internships and they will choose programs that are worth their time and free labor.

The second benefit of educating college freshman about intern exploitation will be to encourage interns in exploitative programs to report their experiences. Of course, since most students work hard to gain admittance competitive internship programs, the majority of exploited interns will probably choose to keep quiet despite being encouraged to do otherwise. However, if even a small number decide to report their exploitation and perhaps even press charges, a few high-profile cases can garner the necessary attention to convince lawmakers that laws protecting interns need stricter enforcement.

Works Cited

“Disposable Intern – TV Tropes.” Disposable Intern – TV Tropes. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2015. <http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DisposableIntern>.

“U.S. Department of Labor – Wage and Hour Division (WHD) – Fact Sheet.” U.S. Department of Labor – Wage and Hour Division (WHD) – Fact Sheet. N.p., Apr. 2010. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. <http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.htm>.

BF+DA Questions

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Aychen Halim

1. How can fashion and design serve as a mechanism for social change? What projects have BF+DA members worked on that have led to social and ethical progress?

2. Do your entrepreneurs ever have to choose between doing good and generating profit? If they have to choose, which objective does BF+DA recommend that they prioritize?

Future of Work Problems

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Aychen Halim

Thanks to the efforts of the labor movement of the late 1800’s, eight hours five days a week has become the standard work schedule for laborers in the United States (Whalen). At the time that the nine-to-five workday originated, most laborers in the US worked industrial, blue-collar jobs. Because they performed physical, repetitive tasks, workers during this time period were able to work non-stop for more or less the entire duration of their workday, with scheduled breaks. However, the nature of work has changed since then and today’s workforce increasingly consists of white-collar workers, who primarily perform cognitive tasks. As most people know from experience, it is nearly impossible for humans to concentrate on a mental task for more than a couple of hours at a time, and most workers need to regularly take breaks from their work. The problem that results from this inability to concentrate is loss of productivity, since employers do not receive the full amount of labor that they pay for.

In addition to the shift from blue-collar to white-collar work, another way in which the nature of work is changing today is that employers are becoming increasingly reluctant to train new employees, instead preferring to hire those that already have the necessary experience and skill sets. This is in part due to the fact that many workers no longer remain at the same job for decades at a time, so it becomes less valuable for a company to invest in training an employee if that employee will take his skills elsewhere in a few years’ time (Schrager). Despite the economic incentives to not train workers, this new convention is creating problems for employers and employees alike. Employers are struggling to fill open positions in their companies because they cannot find candidates with the exact skills and work experience that they want. Potential workers, particularly new graduates with very little work experience, are having trouble finding employment because they lack the specific skills and the experience that employers look for (Cappelli). This increases unemployment and inhibits the workforce from producing at its full capacity.

As unpaid internships have become the norm for young workers who are newly embarking on their careers, the potential for employers to exploit interns has increased. Federal law stipulates that in order for an unpaid internship to be lawful, interns must receive training similar to that which they would gain in an educational environment (“6 Legal Requirements for Unpaid Internship Programs”). However, employers can easily take advantage of the vagueness of this definition to misuse their interns for menial labor rather than to provide them with useful training for their careers. Furthermore, as fewer companies are willing to hire and train inexperienced workers, many current and newly-graduated college students believe that interning is the only way to build up your resume in order to acquire a real job, so they are unlikely to speak out against their exploitation out of fear of losing valuable internship experience.

Works Cited

“6 Legal Requirements For Unpaid Internship Programs.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 19 Apr. 2013. Web. 08 Mar. 2015. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2013/04/19/6-legal-requirements-for-unpaid-internship-programs/>.

Cappelli, Peter. “What Employers Really Want? Workers They Don’t Have to Train.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, 05 Sept. 2014. Web. 08 Mar. 2015. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-leadership/wp/2014/09/05/what-employers-really-want-workers-they-dont-have-to-train/>.

Schrager, Allison. “Is On-the-Job Training Still Worth It for Companies?” Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 22 Aug. 2014. Web. 07 Mar. 2015. <http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-08-22/is-on-the-job-training-still-worth-it-for-companies>.

Whalen, Kelly. “How the Weekend Was Won.” PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015. <http://www.pbs.org/livelyhood/workday/weekend/8hourday.html>.

CSI Questions

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Aychen Halim

1. Is there a noticeable difference in the productivity of CSI member organizations that choose to rent space from CSI and those that operate from their own workspace?

2. Why was this particular building and neighborhood chosen for CSI’s New York workspace? Does this location confer any benefits to non-profits organizations that makes it more desirable than others?

Solution 1: Policing

Posted on February 26, 2015 by Aychen Halim

Nearly 100,000 New York City public school students pass through metal detectors on a daily basis before entering their school buildings (“A Look at School Safety”). As Max pointed out in his comment to my original piece, the need to prevent violence is very real in certain schools, and the detrimental effects of metal detectors may seem worthwhile if lives are saved as a result of their use. However, there is little evidence to show that metal detectors effectively reduce violence in schools (Hankin). An alternative to employing metal detectors would be to implement new programs and services to help students cope with conflict, emotional distress, and heightened feelings of aggression. The Department of Education can incorporate these topics into health curricula throughout middle and high schools, teaching students about conflict resolution and how to seek help when experiencing emotional turmoil. Additionally, the DOE can increase the number of guidance counselors and psychologists working in schools and better train them to counsel students who struggle with aggression. In this way, instead of viewing school as a source of antagonism where they are criminalized, students will be able to see it a place where they can receive help for their problems. In order to effectively increase trust and reduce the hostility that many students may feel toward their school environment, schools should also slacken their zero-tolerance policies and have administrators and counselors address minor conflicts rather than sending teens and preteens through the criminal justice system. The city’s budget for school safety exceeds $221 million, so reducing metal detector use and police presence in schools would allow the city to allocate some of these funds to implement such programs and hire and train counselors (“A Look at School Safety”).

For years, the Bronx’s court system has been plagued by backlog, a problem that has recently been significantly alleviated by the temporary transfer of judges from other districts into the Bronx. These judges have now left the borough, and the possibility of backlogged cases accumulating once more looms (Rivera). A feasible solution to this problem would be to create a division within the Bronx’s judicial system whose job it would be to preside over cases that are over two years old and expedite their completion. This division would behave much like the transfer judges who recently presided over the borough’s backlogged cases, except that it would be a permanent fixture in the Bronx’s judicial system. As Prof. Binz-Scharf pointed out, the county likely lacks the funds to employ experienced legal personnel in such a division, so it could instead hire law school students or recent graduates who would be willing to work for less in exchange for gaining school credit or work experience.

The NYPD’s distrustful relationship with the city’s civilian population, particularly with African Americans, can be addressed by improving the cultural sensitivity training that police officers receive. In the wake of the Eric Garner case, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton had officers attend a three-day training course, where cultural sensitivity was only one of the topics discussed (Durkin). Ideally, the Police Department should instead incorporate cultural sensitivity training into the Police Academy curriculum and assign it the same importance that it allots to firearms and safety training so that officers can develop the human skills necessary to interact civilly with people of all backgrounds and presentiments about the Department. However, because training all Police Academy graduates may be financially unrealistic, the NYPD could instead offer a small pay raise to officers who volunteer to take select classes at local universities to enhance their people skills, similar to the program that grants NYC public school teachers a $3,000 pay raise for completing 30 credits above their Master’s Degree (“Moving Up the Pay Scale”).

Works Cited:

“A Look At School Safety | New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) – American Civil Liberties Union of New York State.” A Look At School Safety | New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) – American Civil Liberties Union of New York State. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. <http://www.nyclu.org/schooltoprison/lookatsafety>.

Durkin, Erin. “Bratton: I Need 1,000 Cops after All.” NY Daily News. N.p., 08 Sept. 2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.

Hankin, Abigail, Marci Hertz, and Thomas Simon. “Impacts of Metal Detector Use in Schools: Insights From 15 Years of Research*.” Journal of School Health 81.2 (2011): 100-06. Web.

“Moving up the Pay Scale.” Moving up the Pay Scale. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2015. <http://www.uft.org/new-teachers/moving-pay-scale>.

Rivera, Ray. “Bronx Courts Trim Big Backlog, With Outside Judge at the Helm.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 July 2013. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.

Comments by Aychen Halim

"The problem with school lunches goes even beyond the simple fact that they serve unhealthy food. In addition to this, school lunch programs include ad campaigns that are quasi-propaganda to convince kids that foods with dubious nutritional benefits are good for them. Most of us probably remember the Got Milk? ads from grade school. They featured famous athletes with milk mustaches, purporting the view that milk is good for you. I remember being pressured by the lunch ladies in my elementary school to take a carton of milk with my lunch everyday (despite being lactose intolerant). However, the claim that milk is good for your bones because it provides calcium and vitamin D is likely unfounded (Carroll). In fact, the high fat content of milk, especially whole milk, might do more damage to one's health than good (Carroll). The Got Milk? ads were created by Dairy Management, Inc., a nonprofit organization established by the US government to increase dairy consumption (Carroll). This shows that the lobbyists for major agricultural industries not only influence the foods that kids eat at school, but also misinform children about what is and isn't healthy. Carroll, Aaron E. "Got Milk? Might Not Be Doing You Much Good." The New York Times. The New York Times, 17 Nov. 2014. Web. 05 May 2015. ."
--( posted on May 5, 2015, commenting on the post The Health Problem Facing the Nation: Obesity )
 
"I think your point about stress ties very well into the discussion about preventative care that we had in class the other day. Since stress causes such diverse health problems as irregular heartbeat, depression, overeating, strokes, heart disease, and heart attacks and costs taxpayers $300 million per year, it would make sense for the government to have stronger anti-stress initiatives. Since most stress is related to personal finance/work, laws and regulations such as raising the minimum wage, legally requiring a certain amount of paid vacation, requiring parental leave comparable to Western Europe, etc., could effectively not only reduce stress, but reduce many of the health problems associated with it. Economically, though, I'm not whether the $300 million per year saved by reducing stress would exceed the cost of implementing and maintaining such measures."
--( posted on May 5, 2015, commenting on the post Public Health Problems and Solution )
 
"I agree that one of the biggest problems facing the wage gap issue is all the misinformation surrounding it. Whenever the wage gap statistic is brought up, people often counter it by stating that women tend to choose to work in lower-paying industries than men. While this is true, studies show that women make less than men even when they work the exact same job and have the exact same levels of experience as their male colleagues. As you stated, part of this is due to the fact that women feel less confident about negotiating their salaries and asking for raises than men. Moreover, since confidence is an issue for women, we have to ask ourselves why women choose to work in lower paying industries than men. Is it because they naturally enjoy certain types of work more, or is it because they are conditioned from a young age to feel intimidated by STEM disciplines? Although I do believe that women should have the right to choose to work in any field they want, I think we need to make sure that they are truly choosing their disciplines for themselves and that social norms aren’t deciding for them."
--( posted on Apr 21, 2015, commenting on the post Gender Inequality Solutions: Working Against the Pay Gap )
 
"I’m not entirely sure what you’re arguing for in your second point. Are you saying that individuals who choose to be full-time parents should receive full salaries or should they receive smaller stipends? Either way, I’m not sure how this would contribute to the removal of gender roles. Women already disproportionately leave the workforce to care for children compared to men. If they are given financial incentives to do so, then I think this imbalance would increase. With these incentives, many families would reason that rather than having two working parents, it is financially better for one parent to remain home with the kids, and in most cases, that parent would be the mom. Not only would this increase the gender divide in the workforce, but it would also cause the workforce to shrink, which would have significant economic repercussions. Furthermore, implementing this solution would be nearly impossible. Finding sources of funding to pay each stay-at-home parent a salary/stipend would be extremely difficult. Also, our nation’s political culture makes it almost impossible for any policy with even the slightest socialist bent to be implemented. Even in liberal New York, I can’t see such a radical bill receiving a lot of backing."
--( posted on Apr 21, 2015, commenting on the post Gender Gap & Economic Growth Solutions )
 
"Interesting that you should mention that boy children are more desired than girls. Numerous studies show that having boys as opposed to girls reduces the likelihood that a couple will get divorced (Newman). Furthermore, mothers with only boys have happier marriages than those with a mixed group of girl and boys (Newman). It is believed that this is because when fathers have sons, they take a more active role in child-rearing than they do with daughters (Newman). This means that with male children, child-rearing responsibilities are more equitably distributed between the mother and father, which makes the mother feel more content than she would in a marriage with daughters, where the majority of child-rearing burdens fall on her. This probably has a noticeable impact on divorce rates, since US statistics show that 73% of divorces are initiated by the wife (Kelly). However, I think the implications of men taking a more active role in child-rearing with their sons go beyond marital stability for the parents. This means that young boys have a leg up over young girls by having two parents that are very actively involved in their upbringing as opposed to having only one. When fathers participate more in raising their sons than their daughters, those boys gain a knowledge and support base at an early age that girls - maybe even their sisters - lack. Kelly, Anita E. "Why Parents of Girls Divorce More." Psychology Today. N.p., 29 Aug. 2010. Web. 31 Mar. 2015 Newman, Susan. "Are Boys More Desirable Than Girls?" Psychology Today. N.p., 28 Sept. 2010. Web. 31 Mar. 2015."
--( posted on Mar 31, 2015, commenting on the post Gender and Economic Growth Problems )
 
"I find the idea that men tend to rise through the ranks faster than women even in female-dominated professions interesting. One likely cause of this is that the stereotypes of what makes a typical man match the stereotypes for a good leader (Goudreau). Interestingly enough, when men enter female-dominated professions, they tend to rise through the ranks faster than they would in a male-dominated work setting, possibly because when they are surrounded by female colleagues, there are fewer competitors among them who fulfill the stereotypical notions of what a leader should be, which makes it easier for men to be chosen for management positions in these types of jobs (Goudreau). I remember in Sheryl Sandberg's TED Talk, she described how women that share identical leadership characteristics with men tend to be perceived as mean for their assertiveness, while men with these same characteristics are simply perceived as good leaders. So while it may seem that women can combat the glass escalator phenomenon by working on their leadership qualities, doing so may actually create another obstacle to getting promoted - being unliked at their job. Goudreau, Jenna. "A New Obstacle For Professional Women: The Glass Escalator." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 21 May 2012. Web. 31 Mar. 2015."
--( posted on Mar 31, 2015, commenting on the post Gender Lens and Economic Growth Problem Set )
 
"Your solution to alternate college education with internships reminded me of the vocational school system that they use in Switzerland. Two-thirds of 15 to 16-year-olds in Switzerland choose to continue their education through the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system, which combines part-time vocational education with a part-time apprenticeship (Bachmann). This system has apparently proved successful for Switzerland, whose unemployment rate among young people was less than 3% as of 2012 (Bachmann). Although I can't envision vocational training becoming widespread in the United States, whose culture places high value on liberal arts education, I definitely believe that there is a market for vocational training and apprenticeships in the United States, and even if a few universities like Drexel implement these types of programs, I think a lot of students would benefit from them. Bachmann, Helen. "Who Needs College? The Swiss Opt for Vocational School | TIME.com." World Who Needs College The Swiss Opt for Vocational School Comments. Time, Inc., 04 Oct. 2012. Web. 17 Mar. 2015."
--( posted on Mar 17, 2015, commenting on the post Work Solution )
 
"I agree that unpaid educational positions should legally be limited to school settings. I think that banning unpaid internships in business settings will not only prevent the exploitation of interns, but also reduce the current trend of companies decreasing training for new employees and instead looking to hire only people who already have the skills that they want. Decreasing employee training is problematic because it makes it difficult for companies to fill positions because they struggle to find employees with the exact skill sets that they want. It also makes it difficult for people who are new to the workforce and have limited skills to find jobs. Thus, this trend leads to increased unemployment and decreased productivity. I believe that banning unpaid internships in business settings can help reverse this new tendency to reduce employee training because many companies now expect that young people will gain the skills and experience necessary to qualify for their job openings via unpaid internships. If these types of internships are banned, people who are new to the workforce will have no means of gaining the work experience that companies want for entry-level positions. Eventually, as the number of potential employees who have the exact skills that companies want dwindles, companies will have no choice but to go back to hiring people without experience and begin training them themselves."
--( posted on Mar 17, 2015, commenting on the post Workplace Solution – Reimagining Internships )
 
"Companies complain that college graduates lack the necessary experience to perform jobs, but I think that this indicates a shift in the mentality of employers rather than a decrease in the quality of higher education. Liberal arts education has never been about vocational training, and I don't think that colleges should be tasked with teaching students how to operate fax machines. A few generations ago, college graduates did not struggle to find jobs directly out of school. Granted, this was in part due to the fact that fewer people attended college, so having a degree was a distinguishing characteristic among job applicants, whereas today a degree represents the bare minimum qualification for most jobs. However, another factor that I believe contributes to the declining employability of recent grads in the eyes of employers in recent times is that companies have moved away from training newly-hired employees to only hiring those that already have the necessary skills. So, it's not that colleges have gotten worse at preparing students for the job market, but that employers want to shift the burden of training employees away from themselves."
--( posted on Mar 9, 2015, commenting on the post Problem 2 – The Future of Work )
 
"I also feel that workers in the United States do not receive enough time off. I think that part of the reason why the US lags behind other developed nations in terms of the number of days off is in part due to the misconception that more time spent in the office equals higher productivity. In the office where I work part-time, the full-time staff members normally work five days a week, except during the summer, when they have Fridays off. During late August of last year, as the summer was coming to a close, many of my coworkers complained that they should have Fridays off during the entire year, since they were able to complete just as much work during their four-day summer work weeks as they normally completed during their five-day work weeks. I agree with you that instead of requiring employees to spend more time at the office, companies should consider ways to restructure the workplace to optimize efficiency and incentive workers to complete their work faster and more effectively. In my office, employees know that they will only get Fridays off during the summer if they can demonstrate that they can keep up with their work, so they work faster during the summer in order to be done with their work by Thursday."
--( posted on Mar 9, 2015, commenting on the post Future of Work Problems )
 
"I agree entirely that officers are inadequately trained in psychology and human behavior. I looked at the Police Academy's curriculum while researching solutions to the problem of distrust between the NYPD and civilian communities, and I was surprised to find that new recruits are not required to take any humans skills-related classes prior to graduation ("Police Academy"). The Police Academy tries to fit in a lot of information during five months of training, but many subjects are inadequately taught or overlooked entirely. The NYPD likely lacks the financial resources to extend the training period for new recruits, which has led me to consider the idea that perhaps it should require officers-in-training to pay for their own education. This is the norm with most professions today - if you want to be a lawyer, accountant, etc., you will have to pay for your own training. If new recruits even partially pay for their own education at the Police Academy, the NYPD may be able to raise the funds that it needs to lengthen the training period and provide a more adequate education to members of the force. The extended training time and tuition will likely deter a number of potential recruits from applying to the force, but this may actually be a good thing because it could weed out the people who are not serious about the job and instead view it as easy money. I believe that the perks of the job will still far outweigh this cost. Officers earn over $90,000 after just 5.5 years of experience with the force, far more than what many white-collar jobs that require an undergraduate degree pay (John). Therefore, requiring future officers to pay for their own training should not be a huge deterrent to applicants. Works Cited: John, Ciaran, and Demand Media. "Salary for a Rookie Cop in the NYPD." Work. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2015. . "Police Academy." Police Academy. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2015. ."
--( posted on Mar 3, 2015, commenting on the post Policing Solutions )
 
"While I agree that documenting inmates' progress while they are in prison could help their job prospects after they are released, I think allowing prison guards to be the ones who document could backfire rather than foster more positive relations between guards and inmates. Prison guards are notorious for abusing their power. They often blackmail prisoners, which inmates oblige to in order to avoid physical abuse, solitary confinement, etc. Allowing guards to document progress would essentially give them control over inmates' future livelihoods, and they would likely abuse this power by accepting bribes from prisoners in exchange for high scores and blackmailing prisoners with the threat of low scores. In order to prevent abuse and ensure that progress reports are completed competently, professionals such as psychiatrists or social workers should handle the documentation. However, hiring these kinds of professionals would be extremely expensive, making the program unfeasible. As an alternative, I propose a government program that would provide tax benefits to businesses that hire formerly incarcerated people ."
--( posted on Mar 2, 2015, commenting on the post Policing Solutions )
 
"I agree that body cameras can be useful for discerning the truth in cases where it is not clear whether the police officer or the civilian with whom he or she clashed is at fault. Although critics of body cameras claim that it will alienate the NYPD to be under such close scrutiny, sowing deeper distrust in the already stressed relationship between officers and civilians, I think police officers have a lot to gain from wearing the cameras. In addition to being injured or harmed while on the job, officers constantly face the threat of having complaints filed against them by civilians for misconduct. Unless an officer is truly abusing his power, the use of body cameras should put him at ease in the case that a complaint is lodged against him because his camera would provide concrete proof of his innocence. Should the NYPD implement body cameras, I think it should emphasize to its officers that wearing them protects them as well, not just civilians. This would prevent officers from feeling that they are being criminalized and alienated by state and city legislators. Ultimately, I believe that the presence of the cameras would discourage both officers and civilians from resorting to violence."
--( posted on Feb 19, 2015, commenting on the post Policing Problems 1 )
 
"I forgot to include the source in my previous comment: FBI. FBI, 27 Aug. 2010. Web. 18 Feb. 2015. ."
--( posted on Feb 19, 2015, commenting on the post Policing is the Problem )
 
"I agree that it is the police department's job to enforce the law, and that the task of innovating crime prevention strategies should mostly be dealt with by legislators. Law enforcement officials can only go as far as patching crime-related problems. Crime can most effectively be reduced through the legislative process. For example, the introduction of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act in 1970 significantly weakened organized crime in the United States. According to the FBI, the provisions of the RICO Act have been especially effective because "they attack the entire corrupt entity instead of imprisoning individuals, who can easily be replaced with other organized crime members or associates" (FBI). The police department alone lacked the strategies to attack the problem of organized crime at its root, since it could only go as far as arresting individuals. Although legislation plays a key strategic role in enacting change, the police department is also essential because it enforces the strategies and laws created by legislators. Laws are meaningless without any means of enforcing them. The issue of police corruption is significant because when laws are not enforced, civilians are left without any safe channels to go through when dealing with crime, rendering them helpless against their oppressors. Criminals are emboldened by the lack of consequences for their actions, making crime even more widespread."
--( posted on Feb 19, 2015, commenting on the post Policing is the Problem )