Posts by Karolina Czerwinska
A Healthier New York City
In my previous post on issues in public health in New York City I discussed the prevalence of obesity in New York City. 34% of New Yorkers are considered overweight and 22% are considered obese. Obesity and overweight are the second leading cause of death among Americans. The number of New York adults who are overweight or obese increased from 42% in 1997 to 61.3% in 2013.
We first have to discover the cause of the issue in order to determine an effective solution. These is a lot of debate over what causes obesity. The general consensus seems to be that diet must be the first thing to addressed prior to exercise. Therefore, my solution proposal will focus on diet.
New York is already making efforts in educated the public on this issue with advertisements that inform the public of the dangers of sugary drinks as seen below.
This is a good place to start in educated the New York City public. The MTA serves a population of 15.1 million people within New York City and Long Island. Therefore these advertisements reach a large audience. To improve these advertisements, I suggest the MTA provide information on other bad diet habits.
We have to make it easier for New Yorkers to make better eating choices. For example if healthy food was cheaper than unhealthy food, people would be more motivated to eat healthy, especially people with low incomes. A Harvard study found it is $1.50 more expensive to eat a healthy diet rather than unhealthy diet. The study found that 1000kcal of healthy food costs about $12 dollars while 1000kcal of unhealthy food costs about $4.
My proposed solution are urban farms which grow and sell fresh local produce at a low cost. Obesity larger affects racial minorities. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, non-Hispanic blacks have the highest rate of obesity at 47.8%, followed by Hispanics at 42.5%. Among non-Hispanic whites the obesity rate is 32.6%. Among non-Hispanics Asians the rate is 10.8%. Will Allen recognized this pattern and decided to open several farms across the nation. He argues “…tilling the land to grow healthy foods is one way to combat the obesity problem among African Americans, and he hopes to inspire more people to trade in their designer garb and corner offices for overalls and a plot of land to grow fresh produce in urban areas.”
This is a unique and innovative way to battle obesity in urban areas while also created jobs.
https://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/obesity/
Urban Oasis: Farming To Fight Black Obesity
Public Health Problems
New York City faces many public health challenges. One is the significant number of overweight individuals in New York City. 34% of New Yorkers are overweight and 22% are obese. This is a serious issue as people who are overweight or obese are prone to serious health risks. To address this issue first we have to determine it’s cause. Jane E. Brody of the New York Times argues foods are heavier in sugar, salt, and fat than in the past. She writes “…The 1970s saw a striking rise in the quantity of refined carbohydrates and fats in the U.S. food supply, which was paralleled by a sharp increase in the available calories and the onset of the obesity epidemic…”
Another important issue in New York City is the heavy amount on litter on city streets. 35% of the trash New Yorkers throw away is said to be recyclable. While New Yorkers generate only 2.9 pounds of garbage daily compared to to average American’s 4.4 pounds. Despite this optimistic statistics because of the city’s large population of 8 million, it is still ranted as one of America’s dirtiest cities. A total of 36,200 tons of garbage is produced each day. This is a very expensive issue for New York City. New York City spends a total of $2.3 billion on trash removal.
Another important public health issue in New York City is the lack of comprehensive sex education. In NYC 99.4/1000 teens ages 15-19 years will become pregnant compared to the national rate of 79.8/1000. HIV/AIDS rates among young men has increased. A National Institute for Reproductive Health survey revealed 45% of New York City High School Students receive little or no sex education. Currently the Healthsmart and Reducing the Risk curriculum is the recommended curriculum for NYC high school students. This curriculum focus on “abstinence and puberty, emotional and mental health, HIV, STD and pregnancy prevention, improving health behaviors, nutrition and physical activity, tobacco, alcohol and other drug prevention, and violence and injury prevention”. Still many things are not addressed such as sexual orientation and gender which is detrimental to sexual minorities. Another concerns is sex education being taught too late and taught by under-trained teachers. Overall sex education in NYC need to be improved.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/survey/survey-2009commuting.pdf
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carol-kellermann/reduce-new-york-citys-hig_b_5899818.html
Litter Policy
Wasted: New York City’s Giant Garbage Problem
http://www.cccnewyork.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/DOHMHPresentation.pdf
http://www.prochoiceny.org/assets/bin/pdfs/sexedreport.pdf
Kim Wales Questions
1. What kind of businesses do you work with. How have you seen these businesses develop as you worked with them?
2. How did you get the idea for Wales Capital and how did you go about implementing that idea?
Gender and Economic Growth Solutions
In my previous post concerning issues in gender equality I discussed the implicit discrimination that exists in the workplace, especially those that target women. I also discussed the stigma surrounding men in the care giving fields and the need for men to be involved in gender equality issues. Finally I discussed patterns of violence against women across the world.
These are all very complex issues. Long held biases against women definitely contribute to these issues. Gender equality is a goal most Americans want to achieve. A Harvard Business Review study found that “80 percent of women and men say they are convinced of the benefits of gender parity at all levels.” (Ferro) So why is it we have yet to reach this goal? This may be because many American do not even acknowledge or realize that gender biases exists. 49% of women and only 28% of men believe gender biases are still prevalent in the U.S. (Porter)
We must dissect more specific issues in gender inequality to form effective solutions. Implicit bias in the workplace is a difficult issue to tackle because these biases are implicit. Employers and employees need to become aware of the implicit biases that exist in the workplace. Increasing diversity in the workplace also discourages implicit biases. Offering an anonymous complaint panel will also encourage people to speak out against discrimination in the workplace.
The He for She campaign is an innovative solution that encourages men to become part of the fight for gender equality. He for She considers gender equality a human rights issue rather than a women’s rights issue. It asks men around the world to join the women’s rights movement. However, I do not think this campaign truly encourages men to become active. As previously mentioned only 28% of men agree that gender inequality is an issue. It may be beneficial for the campaign to encourage men to share stories of how gender biases has affected them or people in their lives to truly reflect that these issues continue to exist. He For She also only encourages men to fight for women’s right. Instead it needs to encourage men to fight for all genders.
The NYPD respond to over 250,000 domestic violence incidents a year. Domestic violence is also the most common cause of injury to women aged 15 to 44. This reflects how common this issue is. There are several program in NYC that aid women who have been victims of domestic violence. However many people do not speak about their abuse from either fear or embarrassment. Most domestic violence incidents are very reported. I think a good solution to this is to create a community where people feel save and understand that violence is not an acceptable behavior and that encourages victims to report their abusers. This can be done through advertisements and outreach in educational and religious institutions.
http://www.fastcompany.com/3036289/strong-female-lead/yes-gender-equality-is-a-mens-issue
http://time.com/3222543/5-feminist-myths-that-will-not-die/
http://www.heforshe.org/
http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/crime_prevention/domestic_violence.shtml
http://www.cookross.com/docs/UnconsciousBias.pdf
Arielle Kandel Questions
1. What are some of the successes and failures that New Women New Yorkers has had since its inception. What steps is the program taking to improve and to be more widely recognized?
2. What are some specific issues that you see immigrant women facing when they come to New York? How do you address these issues?
Solutions to Work Problems
There are many sources which support the conclusion that college does not adequately prepare students for the work force. There are signification discrepancy between what employers expect from their employees and what colleges provide their students with. For example 80% of 2014 college graduates expect their employers to provide them with training. In reality 52% of college graduate did not receive training in their first job after graduation. 46% of workers who graduated college in the past 2 years say they as underemployed and are working jobs which does not require the degree they have. These are just some statistics compiled by the Accenture 2014 College Graduate Employment Survey.
These statistics are worrying. It reveals that the expectations that college graduates have upon graduation are not in line in reality. The solution for colleges to better prepare their students by: “hiring better-qualified career-center staff, stopping with the outdated advice, teaching students how to network, helping students understand that a degree alone won’t get them a job, teach students how to evaluate an employer, start talking about careers long before graduation,teach students how the interview process works, explain the supreme importance of working during college.” (Alison Green)
Graeme Codrington identifies six categories in work life balance: work time, work location, family, development, services and health. I believe that in order to achieve a proper work life balance, employers must offer their employees’ flexibility. Each person’s life is different therefore in order to tailor their work to achieve work life balance, they must have flexibility. This includes flexibility in their working hours, in their work locations, etc. Workers understand their own limits and their own productivity better than anyone. Therefore a workplace where workers can work based on their own limits and time will breed greater productivity.
Many studies suggest that a diverse workplace breeds more productive and happier employees. A Forbes study found that “85 percent of respondents agreed that diversity is crucial to gaining the perspectives and ideas that foster innovation.” (Mulvey) This is why we need to end workplace discrimination to create a more productive workplace.
http://www.accenture.com/us-en/Pages/insight-2014-accenture-college-graduate-employment-survey.aspx
http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/08/15/8-ways-college-could-better-prepare-students-for-the-job-search-
http://www.tomorrowtodayglobal.com/2009/08/14/challenges-and-solutions-to-work-life-balance/
http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/1200-workforce-diversity-good-for-business.html
Gender and Economic Growth
Gender equality is an admirable goal to hope to achieve in the future. One that will benefit our communities socially, economically, and politically. However as we examine issues surrounding gender and economic growth we realize we are far from reaching said goal.
One issue that is apparent is implicit bias in the workplace. Historically, women have been discriminated against in the workplace. However modern discrimination is more subtle. Women receive less challenging work assignments. Women are promoted less often. Women are also hired less often because employers fear her work performance would suffer should said women have children. In a study conduced by the Columbia Business School, subjects were asked to hire a candidate to perform a math task. Men were twice as likely to be hired for this position than women. The reason for these biases are long held beliefs that women share certain characteristics such as “…caring, warm, deferential, emotional, sensitive…” While men are thought to be “…competent, assertive, decisive, rational, objective…” Men’s characteristics are more appropriate for leaders which is why we see more men than women in leadership positions. When we do see women in leadership positions they are thought of as “pushy” as they are seen to have “…violated their prescribed norms.”
Just as there are male dominated industries as there are female dominated industries. In 2009, women compromise 78 percent of persons in the healthcare industry, 69 percent in education, 73.8 percent in social assistance, 95.8 percent in child day care services and 66.9 percent in advocacy, grant-making, and civic organizations. It is easy to identify a pattern in these industries. These are jobs in care-giving and jobs where relational skills are necessary. These are soft skills which are typically thought to be exemplified by women. While men are typically thought to possess hard skills. This may be a contributing factor to why the STEM industry is dominated by men. This is also the reason why men need to play an active roll in the struggle for gender equality. These industries as thought of as feminine. This prevents men from entering these rewarding fields as to maintain masculinity. If more men were to enter these fields, it would end the stereotypes concerning the type of skills which are possessed by either gender. This would also require women to enter male dominated fields. Gender inequality is an issue which must be tackled by both genders.
The most lethal issue in gender inequality is violence against women that is so common around the world. 35 present of women throughout the world have been the victims of physical abuse. 1 in 10 girls worldwide are forced to have sex before the age of 18. The World Health Organization has found that 35% of women who are murdered are murdered by their partners. There are different causes for these alarming statistics. In some areas, for example Nigeria, it is legal for a man to beat his wife. However, we see domestic violence even in places like New York City. From 2002 to 2013, there were 851 domestic homicides in NYC. The victims were largely female. The reason for this is that in many areas in the world, violence against women is under-reported as it is seen as a shameful thing. A study conducted in 28 countries of the European Union found only 14% of women reported instances of domestic violence.
http://www.fastcompany.com/3031101/the-future-of-work/the-new-subtle-sexism-toward-women-in-the-workplace
http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2009/01/26/10-industries-where-women-rule/
http://www.nyc.gov/html/ocdv/downloads/pdf/Statistics_9th_Annual_Report_Fatality_Review_Committee_2014.pdf
Work Problems
I will address three pressing issues which are present in the American workplace.
The first is whether college is sufficiently preparing student to enter the workforce. This may depend on the degree the student is pursuing. Only 2% of companies actively seek persons with liberal arts degrees. As compared to 27% seeking engineering/computer information systems and 18% seeking business. (Rogers) However, the future seems bleak for everyone as a Gallup poll reveals “…only 11 percent of business leaders — strongly agree that graduates have the necessary skills and competencies to succeed in the workplace.” (Alssid) This is contrary to a survey of academic officer. 96% believed “…they’re effectively preparing students for success in the workplace.” (Alssid) There is a significant difference between the skills taught at school and the skills required for work. To resolve this problem we must identify the skills necessary to succeed in the workplace and incorporate them into higher education. For employers the top three desired characetristics in an employee are, respectively, a positive attitude, communication skills, and an ability to work on a team.
According to a The Head Foundation Study, a significant fear North American millennials have as they enter the work force is being overworked. This fear is not common across the world. 8 in 10 of worker report being stressed due to their job. (Gregoire) Stress also reduces the productivity of a worker. Not only are employees overworked at their workplace but they also bring their work home. 81% of U.S. employees check their work emails at home. (Gregoire) The average work week for a full time employee in the U.S. is 46.7 hours. (McGregor) However, studies show a longer work week does not produce greater productivity. (Gregoire) Employees must find a adequate balance between work life and personnel life in order to be happier and be more productive.
The final issue I want to address is workplace discrimination. To many this may seem like a thing of the past but it continues to occur far too often. Discrimination based on sex, race, and other factors still exist. A study conducted by Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes revealed overweight persons are perceived to be less competent. (Peck) This is an issue which may seem irrelevant to most people. However 1/3 of the American population is considered to be obese. (Peck) Yet this form of discrimination is thought to be more acceptable than discrimination based on sex, race, and religion. There also exists discrimination against the LGBT community. Currently there are no federal law protecting LGBT persons from discrimination in the workplace. (Peck) Considering the many studies which suggest a diverse workplace is beneficial, discrimination should not be a common workplace occurrence.
Sources
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julian-l-alssid/a-new-gallup-survey-says-_b_4862669.html
http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2014/05/20/is-college-adequately-preparing-students-for-workforce/
https://hbr.org/2015/02/what-millennials-want-from-work-charted-across-the-world
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-leadership/wp/2014/09/02/the-average-work-week-is-now-47-hours/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/workplace-discrimination/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/20/discrimination-obesity_n_6716230.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/30/lgbt-discrimination_n_6571832.html
BFDA Questions
1. I notice financial security is one of the criteria the Brooklyn Fashion and Design Accelerator considers in its candidates. Does BFDA provide any assistance to entrepreneurs who do not meet the financial requirements?
2. How do entrepreneurs collaborate at BFDA?
Centre for Social Innovation Questions
1. Do you believe working spaces such as that the Centre for Social Innovation will become more common across the U.S. ? Do you believe this working space is able to attract a diverse group of workers?
2. Is there an collaboration among people working on different projects? How does the space facilitate collaboration?
Comments by Karolina Czerwinska
"I wonder is your solution to the shortage of doctors is an effective one as it leaves several questions unanswered. For example $2.5 billion dollars a year is a large sum of money. How would you propose your solution be financed?
I would like to propose a different solution. Instead of fearing sources like WebMD which aid average people in diagnosis we should embrace this technology. If a computer were able to accurately diagnosis a patient, it would significantly lessen the patient load on general practitioners. A computer system at Stanford University can already detect breast cancer more accurately than a human doctor. See link below.
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/104407-computer-more-accurate-than-human-doctor-at-breast-cancer-diagnosis"
--( posted on May 11, 2015, commenting on the post
Public Health Problems and Solution )
"I agree that personal and social pressures do contribute to women not being able to advance in the work place. However I do not think that a program to encourage women to aspire to greater professional goals will be very effective. I do not think a lack of motivation is a significant issue. There are plenty of women who want to succeed but do not have the means to do it. Women have greater personal and social pressure from family responsibilities. Time magazine states "In 2011, 83% of women and 65% of men “spent some time doing household activities such as housework, cooking, lawn care or financial and other household management..”
I agree that people should be more comfortable with reporting sexual harassment. What kind of repercussions would their be to sexual harassment claims reported anonymously? How would one be able to prove these claims?"
--( posted on Apr 22, 2015, commenting on the post
Gender and Economic Growth Solutions )
"Encouraging men to take paternity leave is an interesting and innovative solution. However, I wonder how effective it will be. I do not think advertisements are a very strong incentive. Women do not receive paid maternity leave so neither would men receive paid paternity leave. We also need to encourage women to return to the workforce after having children. 43% of women leave the work force after having children. If so many women are staying at home to raise children, some people might argue it is not necessary for men to receive paternity leave. Also I do not think men taking paternity leave will help the poverty levels of female senior citizens. Instead it may cause men to be subjected to the same fate to women and cause male senior citizens to have higher levels of poverty as well.
However I do think both men and women should be able to take time off from work in order to raise children without there being serious repercussions to their career.
http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/04/why-43-of-women-with-children-leave-their-jobs-and-how-to-get-them-back/275134/"
--( posted on Apr 20, 2015, commenting on the post
Gender Lens on Economic Growth Solutions )
"To me the fact that "In 2010, women’s participation in the work force dropped to 46.7 and economics predicted that it would not increase significantly until 2018." is shocking. This is such a small figure that I feel does not truly reflective the progressive era we are in now. I wonder if this is because women are opting out of the workforce to raise families. If so this is a difficult problem to address. This is because the modern workplace is very unfriendly towards mothers. The U.S. is one of the few countries without paid maternity leave. Women are also hired less often because employers if she are pregnant as employers fear this will negatively impact their job performance. I think allowing women to have a healthy work-life balance, which includes the option of raising a family, will increase women's participation in the workforce.
I think it is absolutely true that under-representation of certain demographics in the workplace leads to "occupational inequality." I have never thought about this correlation before."
--( posted on Apr 16, 2015, commenting on the post
Gender Inequality in the United States )
"I'm very interested in your discussion on mentoring of women. Particularly the argument you posed: "...reports demonstrate that men mentors tend to provide more career support while women mentors tend to provide more socio-emotional support." I found this interesting in that it truly reflected the stereotype women have superior relational skills or soft skills while men have superior hard skills.
This also makes me wonder which type of mentoring would be more beneficial to women. Mentoring focused on career support or mentoring focused on socio-emotional support.
You contribute the lack of women negotiating to a "certain mental tendencies among women." However I wonder how the 7% of women who do negotiate are viewed by their employers, and if that contributes to this statistic. Also I wonder what is the success of negotiations lead my women as opposed to men. I wonder this because we have learned that women in leadership positions are sometimes viewed as pushy. I wonder is this same stigma attached to women who negotiate salaries. I think this is an important questions to research in order to find an effective solution to this problem."
--( posted on Apr 6, 2015, commenting on the post
Problems 3: Current issues for Women in the Workplace )
"Horrid prison conditions is a very serious issue and one that I believe is very much ignored. Once a person is found guilty I feel that society gives up on said person. This is evident by the way that offenders are treated in prisons or jails and how ex-offenders are treated once they are freed from prison or jail.
One question which I think needs to be addressed is why correction officers abuse their power. Is this a result of the environment they work in? Or is it a result of inadequate training? We need to fully understand the cause of this issue in order to address it in the best way possible.
Another issue that you touched upon is how suspects are treated like criminals before they are given a trial and found guilty. Kalief Browder spent three years in Rikers without a trial. His bail was set at three thousand dollars; a sum of money which his family could not pay. This is unfair to families with low income. This is another issue that I believe needs to be addressed."
--( posted on Feb 18, 2015, commenting on the post
Problem I – Policing )
"I found it interesting that you described law enforcement as a "necessary evil." This really reflects the relationship communities have with law enforcement, who are seen as something outside the community. Stop and frisk practices may have contributed to this perception and I agree that it is a problem that should be dealt with. However, we should now consider what would be the best solution. Would it be more beneficial to find a way in which police officers are forced to be more impartial when choosing subjects for stop and frisk or is it better to completely abolish the practice? You pointed out that 88 percent of the people stopped are innocent. If we used different methods could this number go up? Is the 12 percent who were found guilty worth the inconvenience caused to the innocent? Has stop and frisk discouraged people from carrying incriminating objects in general? These are all question which I believe need to be addressed."
--( posted on Feb 18, 2015, commenting on the post
Policing Problems )
