Archive for December, 2010
Ways To Stop Smoking – Are There Differences In The Genders?
A number of research studies into ways to stop smoking are now indicating that differences exist in the smoking behaviour of men and women.
As an example women tend to use cigarettes with a lower nicotine and tar content, on average smoke less cigarettes each day than men, in addition women also inhale on cigarettes less deeply than men.
These differences however may be accounted for by social factors (low tar cigarette brands may be considered more feminine) rather than physical or genetic sensitivity to nicotine.
Historically the overall number of people smoking in the United States fell in the 1970′s and 1980′s, the stayed fairly level in the 1990′s before dropping slightly again in the early years of this decade.
During this period the decline in smoking was more pronounced in men than women that has led to a situation now where the number of men who smoke is only slightly higher than women. This situation is made slightly worse by the increase in female teenagers starting to smoke and the indication that women are (on average) less likely to quit smoking than men.
Some of the very large scale studies into effective ways to stop smoking show that women are less likely to initiate stopping smoking and are statistically slighter more likely to start smoking again and relapse back into their habit.
The Gender Gap – Will American Women Ever Move Ahead
A new study conducted by the World Economic Forum yielded completely unsurprising results – American women are making zero progress in terms of workplace pay equity and job satisfaction. In an era where corporations always seem to pay lip service to workplace equity, why does this gender gap remain?
The 2010 WEF project was the first study to cover the world’s largest employers across twenty countries and analyze the workplace environment for women, effectively benchmarking them against the gender equality practices that should actually be in place. The survey contained twenty-five questions regarding representation of women within their establishments and the use of gender-equality practices such as target-setting, work-life balance policies, and availability of training and mentoring opportunities for women. The results were staggering.
While the US has the highest percentage of female employees (52%) across all levels, these workers are concentrated primarily in entry or middle-level positions and remain scarce in executive, board director, or senior management positions. The pay gap was found to be a universal problem, and American women still make only 78 cents for every dollar that equally qualified men earn. 72% of companies surveyed admitted to not even tracking gender pay gaps, though 40% claimed to be setting quotas or other affirmative action devices to help close the gap.
While the study didn’t address regional differences within the U.S., it is well-known that the South boasts an even greater gender pay gap. I once had a male manager from a prior job attempt to justify this inequity by explaining to me that women cost corporations about 25 percent more than men do, considering the “extravagant expenses” associated with health insurance for expecting mothers and FMLA pay. I was stunned that anyone would even try to argue this point. If all women stayed at home, then the added insurance costs would be pushed over to their working husbands. Additionally, the average U.S. woman has two children and takes only six weeks off for each child. Does three months out of a woman’s entire life justify a 22 percent pay decrease? I think not.
Tags: board director, expecting mothers, gender equality, gender gap, job satisfaction, universal problem, work life balance, workplace environment, workplace equity, world economic forum