Tag: women

Women And People Of Color Benefit From Growing At-Home Businesses The Most
TECHNOLOGY

Women And People Of Color Benefit From Growing At-Home Businesses The Most

In August 2020, on a quiet residential street in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood of Seattle, a tiny emerald bar suddenly appeared inside a converted garage facing the road. It drew the neighborhood, with families walking to pick up four-packs of cider to-go, grab lollipops for their kids or treats for their dogs, and talk to the owner, a woman who had turned her passion project into reality just as the world was shutting down. Caitlin Braam’s Yonder Cider, a business she and her husband, Jon, had poured their savings into to start, launched just before the pandemic without a physical space yet, but before long, she had realized it could slip away entirely. So she opened up at the only place she could: home. The city had closed the street by Braam’s house to cars, and, with many of the bu...
During The Pandemic Surveys Of Scientists Show Women And Young Academics Suffered Most And May Face Long-Term Career Consequences
COVID-19

During The Pandemic Surveys Of Scientists Show Women And Young Academics Suffered Most And May Face Long-Term Career Consequences

Surveys of scientists show women and young academics suffered most during pandemic and may face long-term career consequences. On March 6, 2020, universities across the U.S. announced systematic laboratory closures, social distancing policies and travel bans to cope with the growing coronavirus epidemic. These actions, while prudent and necessary, had immediate negative impacts on the academic enterprise of science in the U.S. and around the world. We are a team of researchers who study the role of science and technology in society. We are also part of a collaborative, multi-university project, called SciOPS, that seeks to improve how scientists communicate with the public. As the pandemic wore on, researchers began telling us about the work stoppages, data losses and other hardships they...
In Health Care Addressing Racism Against Black Women Is Key To Ending The US HIV Epidemic
HEALTH & WELLNESS

In Health Care Addressing Racism Against Black Women Is Key To Ending The US HIV Epidemic

Forty years into the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Black women continue to bear the highest burden of HIV among women. Although Black women represent only 13% of the female population, they accounted for over half of HIV diagnoses among all females in the U.S. in 2018, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. White women, who are 62% of the female population, accounted for 21% of HIV diagnoses. Black women are also less likely than white women to receive the antiretroviral therapies that are highly effective at preventing HIV infection and are more likely to die of causes related to HIV. This year’s World AIDS Day theme included ending inequalities in HIV and AIDS care. But in order to address the inequities, it will require examining the root causes of them. In ...
For Black Women The Unemployment Rate Just Dropped – What Happened?
IN OTHER NEWS

For Black Women The Unemployment Rate Just Dropped – What Happened?

The unemployment rate for Black women fell from 7 percent to 5 percent in November, a large drop after months of lackluster growth, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Friday. Typically, unemployment rates change very little from month to month, so the drop among Black women, who have consistently had some of the highest rates of any racial group, is significant. However, since the pandemic began, monthly jobs figures have been more volatile, and clear explanations of what is happening in the labor market have become even more rare. “I don’t think we can celebrate quite yet,” said Elise Gould, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank. “I’m hopeful this means recovery is finally reaching them. I would like to believe it holds … ...
An Immunologist Answers 3 Questions: Should Pregnant Women Get The COVID-19 Vaccine? Will It Protect Against Asymptomatic Infections And Mutated Viruses?
HEALTH & WELLNESS

An Immunologist Answers 3 Questions: Should Pregnant Women Get The COVID-19 Vaccine? Will It Protect Against Asymptomatic Infections And Mutated Viruses?

This week I was vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Pfizer mRNA vaccine, which brought to mind some frequently asked questions about the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. I am a physician, and I just got my first shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. William Petri, CC BY-SA I am a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Virginia, where I care for patients with COVID-19 and conduct research on how best to prevent, diagnose and treat this new infection. As I interact with patients in the hospital, some mothers and expectant mothers have asked whether it is safe for them to take the vaccine. Here is what I have said to them. 1) Can I get vaccinated if I am pregnant or breastfeeding? Yes, you can and should get a COVID-19 vaccine if you are either pregnant or breastfeeding. An impor...
Why Generations Of American Women Connected With Betty Crocker As She Turns 100
CULTURE, VIDEO REELS

Why Generations Of American Women Connected With Betty Crocker As She Turns 100

Elizabeth A. Blake, Clark University Though she celebrates her 100th birthday this year, Betty Crocker was never born. Nor does she ever really age. When her face did change over the past century, it was because it had been reinterpreted by artists and shaped by algorithms. Betty’s most recent official portrait – painted in 1996 to celebrate her 75th birthday – was inspired by a composite photograph, itself based on photographs of 75 real women reflecting the spirit of Betty Crocker and the changing demographics of America. In it, she doesn’t look a day over 40. More importantly, this painting captures something that has always been true about Betty Crocker: She represents a cultural ideal rather than an actual woman. Nevertheless, women often wrote to Betty Crocker and saved the lett...
A Research Finding That Women Are More Competitive When They’re Given An Option To Share Winnings May Help Close The Gender Pay Gap
Journalism

A Research Finding That Women Are More Competitive When They’re Given An Option To Share Winnings May Help Close The Gender Pay Gap

Mary L. Rigdon, University of Arizona The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Women are more likely to take risks and engage in competitive activities if they’re allowed to share their potential winnings with peers, according to new research I co-authored. Since one explanation of the gender pay gap is that women tend to be less competitive than men in workplace settings, this finding could lead to ways to narrow it. In a study published on Nov. 1, 2021, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Alessandra Cassar and I report an experiment in which we invited 238 undergraduate students – split almost evenly between men and women – into our labs to solve a simple numbers puzzle. We wanted to see how different types of financial incent...
For Low-Wage Women Of Color What About Work-Life Balance
VIDEO REELS

For Low-Wage Women Of Color What About Work-Life Balance

October is National Work and Family Month, a designation that the U.S. Senate first marked in 2003. The struggle that workers face in balancing job-related responsibilities with family obligations became a signature issue for former President Barack Obama, who in a 2014 speech at the White House Summit on Working Families declared, “family-friendly policies are good business practices.” Today, government officials, corporate executives, and media outlets are increasingly calling attention to the importance of alleviating workplace stresses and promoting better “work-life balance.” But most of the rhetoric is directed at higher-income professionals such as managers and executives who tend to be largely White, and not low-wage workers of color, particularly Black and Brown women. During th...
R. Kelly Has Been Convicted Of Sex Crimes Against Black Women. Why Did It Take Nearly 30 Years?
Journalism

R. Kelly Has Been Convicted Of Sex Crimes Against Black Women. Why Did It Take Nearly 30 Years?

A federal jury found R. Kelly guilty of nine criminal charges related to racketeering and sex trafficking in the first high-profile court case focusing on sexual abuse against Black women and girls since the #MeToo movement began. Candice Norwood Originally published by The 19th It took nearly 30 years, dozens of alleged victims, multiple video recordings, an explosive news investigation, a social media campaign, a documentary and two criminal trials before the singer R. Kelly was convicted of sex crimes. A federal jury this week found Kelly guilty of nine criminal charges related to racketeering and sex trafficking that involved recruiting and grooming young women and girls for sex. The six-week trial marked a significant moment: It’s the first high-profile court case focusing on sexu...
Black Women Who Experience Racism Are At Higher Risk For Future Health Problems – Brain Scans Show Trauma-Like Effects
Journalism

Black Women Who Experience Racism Are At Higher Risk For Future Health Problems – Brain Scans Show Trauma-Like Effects

Sierra Carter, Georgia State University The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Black women who have experienced more racism throughout their lives have stronger brain responses to threat, which may hurt their long-term health, according to a new study I conducted with clinical neuropsychologist Negar Fani and other colleagues. I am part of a research team that for more than 15 years has studied the ways stress related to trauma exposure can affect the mind and body. In our recent study, we took a closer look at a stressor that Black Americans disproportionately face in the U.S.: racism. My colleagues and I completed research with 55 Black women who reported how much they’d been exposed to traumatic experiences, such as childhood abuse and physic...